SEARCH FOR MISSING SERVICEMEN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 90, Issue 56, 8 March 1946, Page 7

SEARCH FOR MISSING SERVICEMEN

WORK IN EUROPE AND FAR EAST (P.A.) Wellington, March 6. In response to an inquiry concerning searches Lor missing service personnel, Lhe Minister of Defence, Mr. F. Jones, stated to-day that At my and Air Force personnel were still engaged in a search for servicemen who were reported missing. Insofar* as the army was concerned, lhe Minister added that a New Zealand search party in Crete, the New Zealand Graves Registration Unit and the New Zealand Graves Concentration Unit were all engaged in these duties. Because of the nature of the work undertaken by these units it was difficult to obtain an accurate estimate of the time for which New Zealand personnel would be required. At present it was estimated by general headquarters, Central Mediterranean Forces, that the services of the New Zealand Graves Registration Unit would be required until the end of April next, the New Zealand Graves Concentration Unit until the end of May, and New Zealand personnel in the Crete search party until the same date.

All New Zealand Army personnel in these units have volunteered to remain in Army employ for the length of time required,” Mr. Jones said. “In the case of the Air Force, 11 airmen are engaged in this work. These men are, however, all serving on the Continent, and are volunteers for further service with the R.A.F. As a language qualification was essential for search officers in Europe, and as there were not sufficient volunteers in the R.A.F. with this qualification, it became neces sary for the R.A.F. to offer further service to Dominion troops who could speak foreign languages. “At present 10 of these men are In three units, covering France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Denmark and Norway, and the other officer is serving with a missing research unit covering Mediterranean countries. It is expected that the work in tne European sector will take at least another 12 months. There are approximately 80,000 R.A.F. and Dominion airmen to trace.” FAR EAST POSITION Mr. Jones added that there are no New Zealanders in the search parties in the Far East. These search parties are fully staffed by R.A.F. personnel. The number 1 searcher organisation, with its headquarters at Singapore, has 12 searcher teams in operation. These teams investigate specific cases, and at the same time conduct a general search of an area.

Teams Nos. one and two are operating in Malaya, and are expected to complete their work in two or three weeks, when they will move to the Netherlands East Indies. The third team covered Banks Island, and is now working in Sumatra. The fourth team is in Saigon and the fifth in Borneo. The sixth and seventh teams were in Siam, but are now in Burma. The eighth team is still in Siam. Teams nine to 12 are waiting to move to Tokio, Hongkong, the Andamans and the Netherlands East Indies respectively. In places such as IndoChina and Java the work of the teams has been limited by local operations, but full information concerning R.N.Z.A.F. personnel is held by the searcher clearing organisation. In addition a searcher organisation has been established by S.E.A.C., with two teams in India, three in Burma, two in Malaya, one in Siam, one In French Indo-China, one in Sumatra and one in Java. Each team consists of an officer and two other ranks. Full information on R.N.Z.A.F. and New Zealand personnel serving in the R.A.F. has been supplied to S.E.A.C. These teams have not yet begun work, but will start very shortly. The Minister continued that insofar as New Zealand personnel are concerned it is not considered likely that any further service personnel will be recovered alive from either the European theatre of war or the Far East, and in the Far East it is doubtful whether' additional information will be obtained which would confirm the deaths of those reported missing. In Europe it has been found that the Germans did their best to complicate matters by issuing wrong-information regarding burial places and other details. This in the main is the reason 1 for the many delays at. present, but it is hoped that correct information will be finally revealed.