Bomana War Cemetery; 42nd Bn graves with some photos

42nd Battalion War Graves at BOMANA WAR CEMETERY

BARRETT, Private, EDWARD JAMES, QX51330. A.I.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 2nd July 1945. Age 29. Son of Thomas and Catherine Barrett, of Atherton, Queensland. B4. C. 23.

BARRY, Private, RICHARD THOMAS, Q36647. A.C.M.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 20th July 1945. Age 28. Son of John Joseph and Ann Elizabeth Barry, of Gladstone, Queensland. B4. C. 1.

COX, Private, WARREN, NX177051. A.I.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 10th July 1945. Age 19. Son of Charles Henry and Nellie Hermione Cox, of Auburn, New South Wales. B4. C. 12.

CRAKER, Private, STANLEY WILLIAM, VX121417. A.I.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 28th July 1945. Age 23. Son of Robert William and Lena Myra Craker, of Abbotsford, Victoria. B4. B. 19.

DANN, Private, FRANCIS GORDON, Q109577. A.C.M.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 10th July 1943. Age 19. Son of Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Dann, of Richmond, Queensland. A3. B. 27.

DAVIDS, Private, MURRAY HAYDON, SX19751. A.I.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 27th July 1945. Age 20. Son of Herman Conrad and Ruby Elsie Gladys Davids, of Adelaide, South Australia. C2. B. 17.

DAWBARN, Private, WESTCOURT ELISON, Q36741. A.C.M.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 22nd May 1943. Age 25. Son of Seacome Elison Dawbarn and Florence Heath Dawbarn, of Rockhampton, Queensland. AI. D. 3.

ELLEY, Private, WILLIAM, Q272601. A.C.M.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 9th January 1945. Age 26. Son of George and Sarah Jane Elley; husband of Dulcie Irene Elley, of Annerley, Queensland. A4. C. 13.

EVANS, Lance Corporal, EVAN GEORGE, VX130956. A.I.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 27th July 1945. Age 20. Son of Raymond George and May Victoria Evans, of Long Gully, Victoria. C2. A. 22.

FISHER, Private, GORDON EDWARD JOHN, Q 114009. A.C.M.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 17th June 1943. Age 21. Son of Arthur and Elizabeth Fisher, of North Rockhampton, Queensland. A3. B. 23.

FRITH, Private, CLIVE, N465976. A.C.M.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 24th December 1944. Age 19. Son of Edwin J. G. Frith and Lilian Letitia Frith, of Arncliffe, New South Wales. A3. F. 13.

GANT, Private, EDWARD, WX22488. A.I.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 21st January 1945. Age 19. Son of George and Agnes Alison Gant, of West Leederville, Western Australia. A4. A. 27.

HEPWORTH, Lance Corporal, RONALD JAMES, WX40535. A.I.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 24th December 1944. Age 19. Son of Frederick Joshua and Lillian Mary Hepworth, of Leederville, Western Australia. A3. F. 15.

HINTON, Corporal, CLIFFORD VICTOR, Q114169. A.C.M.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 24th December 1944. Age 23. Son of Harold Victor and Grace Jessie Hinton, of Mackay, Queensland. A3. F. 14.

HITCHCOCK, Private, KENNETH ALFRED, WX40182. A.I.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 2nd July 1945. Age 20. Son of Thomas Alfred and Eileen Ida Hitchcock, of East Fremantle, Western Australia. Cl. E. 17.

HIXON, Private, THOMAS IVAN, Q36638. A.C.M.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 11th June 1943. Age 25. Son of Thomas Francis and Dorothy Hixon, of Gladstone, Queensland. A3. B. 22.

HOUSE, Private, JAMES THOMAS, W15120. A.C.M.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 24th December 1944. Age 19. Son of Howard Thomas House and Frances House, of Bunbury, Western Australia. A3. F. 17.

JONES, Private, LESLIE JAMES, Q227 10. A.C.M.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 31st July 1945. Age 23. Son of Henry Francis and Florabell Jones, of Ipswich, Queensland. B4. B. 23.

KEAL, Private, JOHN HENRY, Q39696. A.C.M.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 24th December 1944. Age 28. Son of Albert and Gertrude Keal. A3. F. 16.

LEE, Private, ALAN LESLIE, VX145540. A.I.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 21st January 1945. Age 19. Son of Leslie Francis Young Lee and Charlotte Catherine Lee. A4. B. 1.

O'MALLEY, Lieutenant, WILLIAM PATRICK, QX62510. A.I.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 24th December 1944. Age 26. Son of John Charles and Cecilia Margaret O'Malley, of Gladstone, Queensland. A3. F. 12.

OSBORNE, Lance Corporal, DONALD GEORGE, NX149861. A.I.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 21st January 1945. Age 19. Son of George A. Osborne and Elsie M. Osborne, of Vaucluse, New South Wales. A4. A. 26.

PAYNE, Private, ARTHUR LESLIE, N34628 1. A.C.M.F . 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 24th December 1944. Age 24. Son of William James Payne and Annie Mary Payne, of Jamison Town, New South Wales. A3. F. 19.

PERRETT, Private, LEONARD WILLIAM, V510507. A.C.M.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 31st July 1945. Age 20. Son of Cyril Leslie and Sarah May Perrett, of West Footscray, Victoria. C2. B. 19.

PRATLEY, Private, JOSEPH, N465580. A.C.M.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 24th December 1944. Age 19. Son of Charles and Mary Pratley, of Goulburn. New South Wales. A3. F. 18.

ROSS, Private, ROBERT BRUCE, NX167547. A.I.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 5th January 1945. Age 21. Son of William John Stanley and Elsie Vera Ross, of Comobella, New South Wales. A3. F. 25.

SMITH, Private, EDWARD JOHN, VX145966. A.I.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 27th July 1945. Age 19. Son of Edward Joseph and Jenny Smith, of Dandenong, Victoria. C2. B. 15.

SYMONDS, Private, NOEL FRANCIS, NX201084. A.I.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 5th January 1945. Age 19. Son of William Leshe and Veronica Mary Symonds, of Lismore, New South Wales. A4. C. 12.

TIMBS, Private, MAXWELL JOHN, VX92572. A.I.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 27th July 1945. Age 20. Son of Arthur and Irene Grace Timbs, of Hiamdale, Victoria. C2. B. 12.

WANKLYN, Private, HERBERT JAMES, VX70822. A.I.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 21st January 1945. Age 22. Son of Herbert James Wanklyn and Elsie Wanklyn, of North Fitzroy, Victoria. A4. B. 6.

WHITE, Private, DESMOND ARTHUR, VX93186. A.I.F. 42 Bn. Australian Infantry. 2nd August 1945. Age 20. Son of Harry and Amelia Elizabeth White of Surrey Hills, Victoria. B4. C. 22.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission 10 July 2002

PORT MORESBY (BOMANA) WAR CEMETERY

Papua New Guinea

Location Information.

Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery lies approximately 19 kilometres north of Port Moresby on the road to Nine Mile, and is approached from the main road by a short side road called Pilgrims Way.

Historical Information.

After the Japanese landed at Lae and Salamaua in March 1942, Port Moresby became their chief objective. They decided to attack by sea, and assembled an amphibious expedition for the purpose, which set out early in May, but they were intercepted and heavily defeated by American air and naval forces in the Coral Sea, and what remained of the Japanese expedition returned to Rabaul. After this defeat they decided to advance on Port Moresby overland and the attack was launched from Buna and Gona in September 1942.

Early in 1942, and almost without resistance, the Japanese established a considerable force and developed a useful base on Bougainville, the largest and most northerly of the Solomon Islands. This they held until Americans and Australians began offensive operations towards the end of 1943, when Bougainville was the only one of these islands remaining in Japanese hands. By August 1945, when the Japanese surrendered, most of the island had been recovered.

Those who died in the fighting in Papua and Bougainville are buried in PORT MORESBY (BOMANA) WAR CEMETERY, their graves brought in by the Australian Army Graves Service from burial grounds in the areas where the fighting had taken place. The unidentified soldiers of the United Kingdom forces were all from the Royal Artillery, captured by the Japanese at the fall of Singapore; they died in captivity and were buried on the island of Bailale in the Solomons. These men were later re-buried in a temporary war cemetery at Torokina on Bougainville Island before being transferred to their permanent resting place at Port Moresby.

The cemetery contains 3,819 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 702 of them unidentified.

The PORT MORESBY MEMORIAL stands behind the cemetery and commemorates almost 750 men of the Australian Army (including Papua and New Guinea local forces), the Australian Merchant Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force who lost their lives in the operations in Papua and who have no known graves. Men of the Royal Australian Navy who died in the south-west Pacific region, and have no known grave but the sea, are commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial in England, along with many of their comrades of the Royal Navy and of other Commonwealth Naval Forces. Bougainville casualties who have no known graves are commemorated on a memorial at Suva, Fiji.