Hampton's Ian Litchfield OAM will be speaking at the dawn service at Lowther on Anzac Day about his recent trip to Borneo and about the secret war that went on there.
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"We had a great trip actually, going to the remembrance day service and remembering my brother's life," he said.
Ian's brother Eric was part of the RAAF 200 (Special Duties) Flight. Its purpose was to carry out secret reconnaissance missions into territory held by Japanese forces as well as dropping Z Special Unit personnel, stores and equipment into the region, using specially modified B-24 Liberator bombers.
On March 25, 1945, his plane had a planned reconnaissance flight to a proposed drop zone for Z Special Unit in an area of Sarawak, Borneo, but Eric Litchfield was never seen again.
"When the [Office of Australian War Graves] in Canberra found out I was going because my brother's plane disappeared they said we would be treated as VIP guests," he said.
Mr Litchfield said there were seats waiting for them to sit with ambassadors and high commissioners.
"I didn't realise what a big thing it was, they take it very seriously, it is a very well run service," he said.
According to Mr Litchfield the service was run differently to Australia, due to it being a Muslim country.
"With different religions over there they all respect one another, were all very friendly people," he said.
Mr Litchfield was invited to lay a wreath at the cemetery where the Australian and British people who were taken prisoner in Borneo were buried.
"They had a detachment of Gurkhas there, they were most impressive, the synchronisation, the split-second timing. You would think were geared up to move exactly as one," he said.
Mr Litchfield said the service included Christian prayers with hymns, at which point the Muslim participants left to go to another part of the cemetery to have a service.
"That was very generous of them since it is their country, but on the other hand I think they understand that not many Muslims are buried in this particular cemetery," he said.
"We were very impressed with how it was run and the respect of the local people who turned up."
According to Mr Litchfield there were over 4000 people who attended the service.
"The day after the service we drove across Borneo and on that journey we followed the route of the death marchers from the Sandakan prisoner of war camp," he said.
"Along the way at significant points they have memorials, and one that was very impressive had big gardens with Australian, British and local Sandakan gardens.
"It is all beautifully kept with special flora from that particular country, there is also a reflection pool with bronze tablets the names of every prisoner who died in Borneo."
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Mr Litchfield said he was pleased to go for his brother and to remember him.
"I've been wanting to go for some time and war cemeteries are quite emotional places, when you walk around there and realise that many people go unnamed, it is staggering," he said.
"That is the thing that surprised me actually, that out of 3908 in the war cemetery 2156 were unidentified."
Mr Litchfield said that his brother's plane, which had 11 crew members and a pilot who are now under the ocean somewhere, show that despite there being 3908 graves, there were many more who have been lost forever.
"There could be up to 4000 military people who were killed in the Borneo campaign, and while that number is not great that is still a lot."
Mr Litchfield and his children have been doing more research about where his brother's plane may have crashed and have organised for Canberra Air Force representatives to visit to talk about conducting a search for the plane.
"We will see what eventuates out of that because we don't want to raise people's hopes for something that may not happen."
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