Title:
Missing in action : Australia's World War I Grave Services, an astonishing story of misconduct, fraud and hoaxing
Author:
Publication Date:
2018
Publication Information:
Crows Nest, NSW : Allen & Unwin, 2018.
©2018.
Physical Description:
xx, 267 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map, portraits ; 24 cm.
ISBN:
9781760632809
Abstract:
At the end of World War I 45,000 Australians had died on the Western Front. Some bodies had been hastily buried mid-battle in massed graves; others were mutilated beyond recognition. In many cases, next of kin had been informed of the death of their loved ones, but often men were listed as 'Missing in Action', because nobody knew for sure. Lieutenant Robert Burns was one of the many Australian soldiers who were listed as missing. Now that the guns had fallen silent, his father, a former AIF Colonel, wanted to know what had happened to his son. He wasn't the only one looking for answers. A loud clamour arose from Australia for information and the need for the dead to be buried respectfully. A number of men put in charge of this exercise however, were deeply flawed, with their own personal reasons for preferring to remain in France unearthing bodies. In the end there was a great scandal with allegations of body hoaxing & gross misappropriation of money and army possessions. There were two highly secretive inquiries. This is the untold story of those dark days and darker deeds. It is also the compelling story of the search for a son's remains.
Contents:
Robert David Burns: July 1916 -- How it came about: January 1919 -- William Lee -- Allen Charles Waters Kingston -- Willoughby Richard Bollen -- George Lort Phillips -- Alfred Allen -- The ugly job -- The inquiry in France: 30 March 1920 -- The court in London: 6 April 1920 -- Re-establishing the AGS -- Rocking the boat -- The body diviner -- The colonel's son -- Taking action -- The alleged hoax -- Crossing the Channel -- Sam MacMillan -- William James Foster: December 1920 -- The second inquiry -- An empty grave -- Stealing notes -- Conclusions -- The discovery at Pheasant Wood: 2009 -- The mysterious major.
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Language:
English
