History detective, historian, investigative writer & specialist tour guide

As a direct result of her three decades of research work, Lynette has become a recognised expert in locating and identifying graves containing the remains of ‘unknown’ military personnel. All have been buried in graves with headstones inscribed ‘Known unto God’.

Her identifications include

Labuan War Cemetery:

*denotes KIA
**denotes executed

Labuan War Cemetery

Cleary

Quailey

  • Adlington, Private Norman 5 B 3
  • Bendall, Private Bertram 5 B 4
  • Bignell, Private Kenneth 14 C 3
  • Blatch, Gunner Wallace 14 C 4
  • Burns, Private Robert 16 D 4
  • Christie, Corporal Neil 16 D 10
  • Cleary, Gunner Albert 21 E 6
  • Cook, Captain George** 12 D 8-12
  • Cummings, Sergeant Norman 5 B 1
  • Davies, Private Evan 19 C 6
  • Gardner, Gunner Walter (Crease)** 10 D 13
  • Glover, Sapper Sydney T D 14
  • Harris, Corporal Syme 16 D 5
  • Jones, Private Herbert 16 D 6
  • Lytton, Private Herbert 21 E 9
  • McAppion, Sapper Henry 9 A 7
  • MacKenzie, Private Douglas** 5 B 1
  • Morriss, Able Seaman George 20 D 1
  • Murray, Private Richard** 21 E 7
  • Newling, Private Rolf 19 C 7
  • Nicholson, Private John 21 C 6
  • Oakeshott, Captain John** 12 D 8-12
  • O’Dwyer, Sergeant James Joseph* 5 D 5
  • Ovens, Gunner Hugh 16 D 7
  • Pallister, Private Robert 17 D 9
  • Picone, Captain Domenic** 12 D 8-12
  • Quailey, Private Allan** 25 E 3
  • Reynolds, Driver Charles 17 D 10
  • Roberts, Private Stanley 19 C 8
  • Sheard, Gunner Wright** 25 E 4
  • Skinner, Private John** 20 C 12
  • Walter, Gunner Roy 25 E 5
  • Watts, Private Ellis Roy 21 B 15
  • Wright, Private Colin 19 C 9

British:

  • Burgess, Flying Officer Humphrey** 12 D 8-12
  • Daniels, Captain Frank** 12 D 8-12

Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore:

Australian forces:

  • Cameron, Sergeant Colin Barclay 32 E 2*
  • Campbell, Corporal Archie Gordon 23 D 19*

British forces:

  • Davidson, Lt Cdr, Donald M N 23 D 20*
  • Riggs, Sub-Lt James Gregor 32 E 4*

Ambon War Cemetery, Indonesia

Australian forces:

  • Hearle, Sergeant Herbert Francis** 3 B 1
  • Witham, Sergeant William Douglas** 3 B 2

Buried in a civil cemetery – officially recognised war grave:


British forces:

  • Chester, Lt Colonel George Francis Leach Old Christian Cemetery, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

This grave, when located in 1999, was in a state of neglect. Although the burial site had been visited previously by various ex-servicemen, some of whom had served with Chester, there had been no attempt to provide for on-going maintenance or to have it recognised as a war grave, an honour to which Chester, who had reportedly died of a war-related illness, was entitled.

Lynette enlisted the aid of the Dean of the Anglican Cathedral and, with the assistance of local people interested in preserving history, the grave itself was quickly upgraded, along with the cemetery generally. However, to recognize the burial plot a ‘war grave’ the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) required documented proof of the date of death, which had to be within a specific time frame, as well as the cause and proof that the cause was war related. While it was a ‘well known’ and ‘accepted fact’ among the ex-service community that Chester had died of blackwater fever at some indeterminate time post-war, no one could produce a shred of evidence in regard to either a firm date of death or a definite cause, let alone that it was war related.

At Lynette’s instigation, a search of archival material in London unearthed a letter that revealed the date of death, which was within the prescribed period, but not the cause. Enlisting the help of Michael Chin, a resident of Kota Kinabalu, she then located a hand-written death register, which established that Chester had died at Jesselton Hospital of blackwater fever, a complication of malaria, on the date previously cited. Using operational wartime records held in Australia, Lynette’s final step in this long process was to prove that Chester had contracted malaria in 1944 while ‘on the run’ during a mission in Borneo. Satisfied from her submission and evidence presented that Chester’s death in 1946 was due to a war-related condition, CWGC not only officially recognised that Chester’s burial site was a ‘war grave’ but also ‘elevated’ him to Lieutenant-Colonel, his substantive rank at the time of his death.

Chester’s grave 1999

 

Grave after restoration

Buried in Civil cemeteries, individual graves not located:

(cases pending before CWGC, for burial sites to be acknowledged)

** denotes execution

Australian forces:

  • Bell, Sergeant Joseph Kenneth** (Cheras Road, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
  • Greenup, Gunner Clive Robert (Sandakan, Sabah)
  • Liversidge, Lieutenant Eric Joseph (believed to be buried Dili, Timor)
  • Pace, Lance Corporal Hugo Joseph (Dili, Timor)
  • Warne, Private Douglas Richard (Surabaya, Java)
  • Willersdorff, Warrant Officer Jeffrey (Dili, Timor)

British/Indian forces:

  • Graham, Lieutenant Ronald** (Cheras Road, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
  • Hancock, Captain Bernard C** (Cheras Road, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
  • Harvey, Lieutenant William Percy** (Cheras Road, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
  • MacDonald Giffard ‘Mick’ Douglas** (Cheras Road, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
  • Vanrenan, Lieutenant Frank** (Cheras Road, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

Dutch forces:

  • van Crevald, Flight Sgt Jan** (Cheras Road, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)