The remains of eight British Second World War airmen were buried with military honours in Malaysia on Thursday, nearly 70 years after their plane crashed while on a mission in Southeast Asia.
The eight were crew members of a Royal Air Force plane that left Cocos Island on 23 August 1945 to drop supplies to British soldiers in the final days of Japanese occupation of what was then Malaya, but never returned. The wreckage was found in deep jungle by tribesmen in 1991, but the remains were not uncovered until 2009.
In a sombre ceremony, the eight men were remembered by name as families paid their last respects. An honour guard lowered their remains in a single casket at a Commonwealth war grave outside Kuala Lumpur. Geoffrey Dovey, 83, whose brother William Kenneth Dovey was only 20 when he died, said: 'This is the final goodbye. I am pleased that after such a long time, there is a fitting conclusion to it all.'
Buried were 63 human bones and 18 possible human bones, found with personal belongings including a charm bracelet, dog tags and rings, which have been returned to families. It was the second mass military burial of its kind in Malaysia this year.
Both planes were found largely due to the Malaya Historical Group, a nonprofit organisation that has carried out many expeditions to crash sites, partly funded by the Malaysian army. Member Shaharom Ahmad said the group has helped locate another 13 Second World War crash sites and hopes to unearth more remains. 'It is a labour of love' to help bring closure to families, he said.
