Australians at Monte Cassino
Cassino War Cemetery is 139 kilometres south east of Rome and the Benedictine Monastery of Monte Cassino is nearby on the hill. There are thirteen Australians buried in the cemetery, twelve from the RAAF and a war correspondent from the Sydney Morning Herald among the 4000 or so graves from all over the Commonwealth. There may be family who have wondered about these servicemen, so I have been investigating. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission(CWGC) is very helpful with information about those who died at Cassino War Cemetery, Cassino War Memorial or CWGC cemeteries in Italy. Yesterday, the CWGC released the documents for 600,00 World War II casualties, including those at Cassino. If you are looking for RAAF servicemen the RAAF database is excellent and has many grave photographs including all the Australian graves at Cassino. The War Graves Photographic Project may also have photographs of graves or you can contact them and request one. The six graves in these photos are together near the trees.
Thanks to the CWGC, we have the following details of the men buried at Cassino War Cemetery. If you have photos of them or know anything else about them please let me know so I can include it in my later blogs. These servicemen can all be searched on the CWGC website and their service numbers are included eg. 415222 with the date of death, age, grave and information about their family.
| CASSINO WAR CEMETERY, Italy
Commonwealth War Dead (1939-1945) |
| BILSBY, RALPH TRENHAM. Flight Sergeant, 415222. Royal Australian Air Force. 22 July 1943. Age 21. Son of Ralph Mason Bilsby and Lillian Emelina Bilsby, of Collie, Western Australia. Grave Reference: Coll. grave XVII. D. 1-10. |
| CRAWLEY, CHRISTOPHER WILLIAM. Warrant Officer, 412403. Royal Australian Air Force. 14 December 1943. Age 21. Son of Alphonse Hilary Crawley and Ethel Margaret Crawley, of Junee, New South Wales, Australia. Grave Reference: X. K. 2. |
| CUMMING, DOUGLAS ANDERSON. Flying Officer, 410312. Royal Australian Air Force. 29 May 1944. Age 25. Son of Gerald Dowling Cumming and Mary Daisy Cumming, of Darlington, Victoria, Australia. Grave Reference: X. K. 6. |
| DOWNING, ARTHUR WILLIAM.Warrant Officer, 403261. Royal Australian Air Force. 18 October 1943. Age 21. Son of Frank Hammersley Downing and Violet Hester Downing, of Balgowlah, New South Wales, Australia. Grave Reference: Coll. grave III. E. 23. |
| ELMS, HENRY. Flight Lieutenant, 404895. Royal Australian Air Force. 17 April 1944. Age 28. Son of Cecil Henry and Daisy Elms; husband of Jessie Joyce Elms, of Hillend, Queensland, Australia. Grave Reference: Coll. grave XII. J. 21-22. |
| HAWKE, RAYMOND RICHARD LINDSAY. Warrant Officer, 427090. Royal Australian Air Force. 29 December 1944. Age 29. Son of Percival George and Margaret Mary Hawke, of Belmont, Western Australia. Grave Reference: X. K. 5. |
| LAIRD, THOMAS PATERSON. Flight Sergeant, 415337. Royal Australian Air Force. 22 July 1943. Age 23. Son of Thomas Paterson Laird and Jean Laird, of Albany, Western Australia. Grave Reference: Coll. grave XVII. D. 1-10. |
| LUKE, CYRIL SPENCER. Warrant Officer, 412461. Royal Australian Air Force. 5 February 1944. Age 21. Son of Stanley John Henry and Clara Adelaide Luke, of Ourimbah, Queensland, Australia; husband of June Luke, of Merrylands, New South Wales. Grave Reference: X. K. 4. |
| MACDONALD, RODERICK KENNETH. Reporter, 81. Australian War Correspondent. 18 May 1944. Age 32. Son of Donald Peter Macdonald, M.L.A., and Clarice Ann Macdonald, of Mosman, New South Wales, Australia. B.A. (Sydney); Journalist and Author. Grave Reference: X. K. 1. |
| MALLICK, THOMAS HENRY ANTHONY. Flight Sergeant, 412989. Royal Australian Air Force. 31 May 1944. Age 24. Son of Thomas and Millicent Geraldine Mallick, of Orange, New South Wales, Australia. Grave Reference: X. K. 3. |
| POTTS, LINDSAY GORDON. Flight Sergeant, 412701. Royal Australian Air Force. 22 July 1943. Age 21. Son of Clarence Rickard and Rose Potts, of Clovelly, New South Wales, Australia. Grave Reference: Coll. grave XVII. D. 1-10. |
| SEYMOUR, LAWRENCE ALFRED. Flying Officer, 402208. D F C. Royal Australian Air Force. 16 May 1944. Age 30. Son of James Monday Seymour and Daisy Isabel Seymour, of Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia. Grave Reference: Coll. grave III. K. 17-18. |
| STRATTON, ALFRED ROWLAND. Warrant Officer, 411056. Royal Australian Air Force. 18 October 1943. Age 29. Son of William Henry and Emily Wells Stratton; husband of Dorothy Gladys Stratton, of Hindmarsh. South Australia. Grave Reference: Coll. grave III. E. 23. |
Explorers Tree 
Hi
I am after more information on William crawley who is my distant relative. I am studying about ww2 and want to interview him.
Do you have any articles relating to his death so I can complete this and find out more?
Alphonse
Sorry Alphonse, that was all I had but I checked the Australian War memorial site and they didn’t have much on him although there is a link at https://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R1702819/ to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the National Archives of Australia which should have more if you haven’t already checked them out. There was an article in Trove from 1936 which may or may not be the same pioneer family from Wagga Wagga.Here’s the link http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article144622130. Best of Luck. ET
A brilliant undertaking…………., thank you so very much.
Your welcome. I’m glad you liked it Pauline.