There are 44 Australian servicemen listed as 'missing in action' in the Korean War...
They are now presumed to be dead. Those who were seen to be killed at the time, but whose bodies were never recovered, are included in this category. The Australian Army, the Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Australian Navy try to recover the remains of their war dead when possible, but in Korea this task seems unlikely to be successful. All but one of those on the list below went missing or were killed in North Korea, or at sea. The North Korean Government is not at present co-operating in the recovery of the remains of the dead.
The exception is Corporal William Kevin Murphy. Murphy was a 30-year-old tin miner from Ireland with service in the British Army in WWII. He joined the Australian Army in 1950 and was killed serving with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment during the Battle of Kapyong. His body was not recovered at the time and has not been located since. Another whose name appears on the Memorial Wall is Sub-Lieutenant Richard Roslyn Sinclair of the Royal Australian Navy. In the years since the war it has emerged that Sub-Lieutenant Sinclair was buried at sea and is therefore no longer considered as missing in action. For this reason DVA uses a figure of 43 when considering those who are listed as missing in action from the Korean War.
Name | Number | Rank | Unit | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ARMIT, Ernest Donald | O2221 | PILOT OFFICER | RAAF | 1.12.51 | Flying Battle |
ASHE, John Berkley | 3/3706 | CORPORAL | 2 BTN RAR | 28.5.53 | Presumed |
BOURKE, Edmund George | 2/401173 | PRIVATE | 2 BTN RAR | 7.6.53 | Presumed |
BRADY, Francis | 4/400156 | PRIVATE | 3 BTN RAR | 25.1.53 | Presumed |
BROWNE-GAYLORD, DFC, Mark Astil Baren Aytack | O23655 | FLT LIEUT. | RAAF | 27.1.52 | Flying Battle |
CHALMERS, Peter Botley | O35079 | PILOT OFFICER | RAAF | 26.3.53 | Flying Battle |
CHRISTIE, John King | 2/401322 | PRIVATE | 3 BTN RAR | 15.4.53 | Presumed |
CLARKSON, DFM. Keith Elwood | LIEUTENANT | RAN | 5.11.51 | KIA | |
COLEBROOK, Maxwell Edwin, DFM | O5895 | PILOT OFFICER | RAAF | 13.4.52 | Flying Battle |
COLEMAN, Ronald James | SUB-LIEUTENANT | RAN | 2.1.52 | Miss.Pres.Killed | |
COWPER, Lionel Henry Cadogan | O33831 | PILOT OFFICER | RAAF | 30.3.52 | Flying Battle |
ELLIS, Donald Campbell | O21261 | PILOT OFFICER | RAAF | 22.12.50 | Flying Battle |
FOOT, T.R. | 2/401322 | PRIVATE | 3 BTN RAR | 14.5.53 | Presumed |
GILLAN, Bruce Thompson | O33625 | PILOT OFFICER | RAAF | 27.1.52 | Flying Battle |
GRIFFITHS, Leslie John | 3/10647 | PRIVATE | 1 BTN RAR | 11.12.52 | Presumed |
HALL, John Rogers | 5/400213 | PRIVATE | Reinf.Hld.Unit | 3.10.52 | lost at sea enroute Australia |
HALLEY, John Beverley | O5309 | PILOT OFFICER | RAAF | 11.2.53 | Flying Battle |
HILLIER, Donald | O4425 | SQNLDR | RAAF | 8.3.1953 | Flying Battle |
HODGKISSON, Joseph William | 5/400181 | PRIVATE | 3 BTN RAR | 25.1.53 | Presumed |
KUNKEL, William Rudolph | 1/1641 | PRIVATE | 1 BTN RAR | 16.11.52 | Presumed |
LAWRENSON, DFC, AFC, Frederick James | O22005 | SQNLDR | RAAF | 24.12.52 | Flying Battle |
LORD, William Thomas Henry | 2/400437 | PRIVATE | 3 BTN RAR | 13.7.52 | Presumed |
McKANDRY, John Lawrence | 2/400919 | PRIVATE | 3 BTN RAR | 14.5.53 | Presumed |
MURPHY, William Kevin | 3/400143 | CORPORAL | 3 BTN RAR | 24.4.51 | Presumed |
NICHOLSON, John William | 2/400798 | PRIVATE | 3 BTN RAR | 14.5.53 | Presumed |
PURSSEY, DFC, Ian Goodwin Swan | O11561 | FLT LIEUT. | RAAF | 22.4.52 | Flying Battle |
ROBERTSON, Douglas Merson | O5672 | PILOT OFFICER | RAAF | 11.11.51 | Flying Battle |
ROBERTSON, Donald Neil | O32536 | PILOT OFFICER | RAAF | 15.5.52 | Flying Battle |
ROBINSON, Richard George | O22422 | PILOT OFFICER | RAAF | 16.2.52 | Flying Battle |
ROOTES, Reginald Donald | 2/5124 | PRIVATE | 1 BTN RAR | 11.12.52 | Presumed |
RYAN, Laurence Bonaventure | 3/37672 | LIEUTENANT | 3 BTN RAR | 13.7.52 | Presumed |
SAUNDERS, John Philip | 3/400868 | PRIVATE | 3 BTN RAR | 25.1.53 | Presumed |
SCURRY, Arthur John | 5/2103 | PRIVATE | 3 BTN RAR | 25.1.53 | Presumed |
SHENNON, Ronald William | 1/400304 | PRIVATE | 3 BTN RAR | 14.1.53 | Presumed |
SINCLAIR, Richard Roslyn | SUB-LIEUTENANT | RAN | 7.12.51 | KIA | |
SMITH, Francis Charles | 2/35020 | LIEUTENANT | 3 BTN RAR | 25.1.53 | Presumed |
SMITH, Kenneth Dudley | O33843 | PILOT OFFICER | RAAF | 8.7.52 | Flying Battle |
STEPHENS, Geoffrey Ingram | O647 | PILOT OFFICER | RAAF | 6.1.51 | Flying Battle |
STRANGE, Harold Thomas | A2997 | SERGEANT | RAAF | 19.3.51 | Flying Battle |
SURMAN, John Leonard | O32537 | PILOT OFFICER | RAAF | 9.6.52 | Flying Battle |
TERRY, Lionel John | 3/400376 | PRIVATE | 3 BTN RAR | 25.1.53 | Presumed |
WALLACE, Thomas George | 3/400430 | PRIVATE | 3 BTN RAR | 13.7.52 | Presumed |
WHITE, Peter | 3/400608 | PRIVATE | 3 BTN RAR | 14.1.53 | Presumed |
WHITEHOUSE, Dennis Edward | 3/10796 | PRIVATE | 3 BTN RAR | 14.8.52 | Presumed |