Unrecovered War Casualties - Air Force (UWC-AF) is under the Directorate of Coordination at RAAF Headquarters in Canberra. This entity is responsible for investigations and identification of Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) missing personnel. Previously, known as The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) MIA Investigations section. Also known as simply Air Force MIA Investigations. In the post World War II era, known as Royal Australian Air Force Searcher Teams (RAAF Searcher Teams). Another entity, Unrecovered War Casualties - Army (UWC-A) is responsible for investigations of Australian Army missing personnel.
During the 1980s until 2020 led by Wing Commander Greg Williams who was the only person in the directorate as new reports, investigations and recoveries were infrequent. It is believed that most RAAF aircraft that have not yet been found and many are presumed to have crashed into the ocean. Since 1994, list of aircraft crash sites investigated by the RAAF that resulted in the recovery and burial of missing RAAF personnel:
1994 Indonesia Catalina A24-45
1995 Papua New Guinea Beaufighter A19-139
1997 Papua New Guinea Beaufort A9-106
1999 Papua New Guinea Wirraway A20-480
1999 Indonesia Kittyhawk A29-641
2000 Papua New Guinea Beaufighter A19-97
2001 Papua New Guinea Beaufort A9-217
2001 Netherlands Lancaster JB659
2003 Germany Lancaster ED867
2005 Indonesia Dakota A65-61
2005 Germany Lancaster PB290
2009 Vietnam Canberra A84-231
2011 France Spitfire MJ789
2012 France Spitfire BM180
2013 Italy Boston BZ590
Field Work
During the 1990s and early 2000s, in most cases with only a few exceptions, most cases in Papua New Guinea (PNG) were finalized in a matter of months of the first advice to Air Force regarding a potential site.
Identification
Dental records are the main tool used to identify individuals. The dental records of the 100,000+ who enlisted with the RAAF during WWII are retained in archives. In cases where individual ID is not possible but it is confirmed that the remains can be attributed to all on board, burial is in a common grave with individual headstones erected. After positive identification and notification to next of kin, recovered remains are usually buried 6-12 weeks later in an Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) military cemetery with full military honors.
Royal Australian Air Force Searcher Teams (RAAF Searcher Teams)
In the immediate postwar period, the Royal Australian Air Force Searcher Teams were responsible for searching for missing Australian aircraft and airmen in the islands north of Australia (now Indonesia and Papua New Guinea).
During RAAF Searches many American, New Zealand and Japanese aircraft were also located. In Papua New Guinea the team was headed by Wing Commander Keith Rundle, OBE. In the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) in present day Indonesia the team was headed by F/Lt Martin T. O'Shea.
W/Cdr Keith Rundle, OBE
F/Lt Martin T. O'Shea
S/Ldr John Douglas Coape-Smith, O299
RAAF Personnel Missing during WWII and the Korean War
As of August 2014 there are 3,125 RAAF personnel listed on Missing Memorials around the world covering the period 3 September 1939 to 31 December 1947. A further 18 are listed on the United Nations Memorial in Seoul as missing during the Korean War of 1950 to 1953. All Australian servicemen missing during the Vietnam War have now been recovered.
Today, SQNLDR Greg Williams is part of Air Force MIA Investigations, Directorate of Coordination – Air Force. He has been a part of wreck investigations starting in 1980 to the present day.
Today, the department is known as Air Force Unrecovered War Casualties.
References
Search in the "Never Never" film includes RAAF party was led by Group Captain Keith Rundle
The Searchers (1999) by Jim Eames
WW2 Nominal Roll - Keith Manson Rundle
The London Gazette - MBE Notification
The London Gazette - OBE Notification
RAAF Searcher Team S/Ldr Rundle report, August 12, 1946
Report by S/Ldr Rundle No. 58(c) Babo Area, 6-1947
Report by S/Ldr Rundle on United States Liberator Aircraft Recovered Kasar, Senindara River, Babo Area
WW2 Nominal Roll
- John Douglas Coape-Smith
RAAF Casualty Database database of all RAAF service personnel killed and missing during the Second World War and later conflicts
Thanks to SQNLDR Greg Williams and Daniel Leahy for additional information
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