Is the HMAS Sydney II crew MIA or KIA?
A recent Letter to the Editor here at CONTACT piqued my interest – are the members of the crew of HMAS SYDNEY II listed as Missing in Action or Killed in Action? [though the author’s enquiry was more like a demand to change their status from MIA to KIA, with officers dispatched to crew descendants to officially break the news]
So, I asked Defence for official clarification.
Defence replied, essentially, that the crew are officially listed as KIA, but will also remain on a ‘missing’ register until [if ever] actual human remains are located.
The official Defence response reads in full…
On 19 November 1941, HMAS Sydney (II) sunk off the West Australian coast following a battle with the German warship HSK Kormoran.
Sadly, none of Sydney‘s 645 crew survived.
The crew of HMAS Sydney (II) are commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial and are listed as ‘Killed in Action’ (KIA).
Other than Able Seaman Thomas Clark, the [other] 644 members of HMAS Sydney (II) are still listed in the Navy Register of Missing Casualties, in accordance with the Defence Casualty Manual, as the wreck site was found but unfortunately the remains of the crew were unable to be recovered.
Inclusion in the Navy Register of Missing casualties does not change the official designation of KIA.
Most casualties lost or buried at sea are officially listed as KIA rather than ‘Missing in Action’ (MIA) and the register is maintained in case remains are ever discovered.
CONTACT sincerely hopes this draws a line under any doubts as to the status of HMAS Sydney II’s crew.
May they rest in peace.
Brian Hartigan
CONTACT Editor
MAIN PHOTO: The memorial wall listing the crew of HMAS Sydney II at Mount Scott Geraldton. The interior concave side of the Wall of Remembrance, situated at the front of memorial, details the names of all 645 men who lost their lives. The centre piece is a dome mounted by seven pillars. Representing the seven states and territories of Australia. The dome is constructed by a canopy of silver gulls. A Stele is made of Stainless Stell and represents the bow of the HMAS Sydney II. A bronze sculpture of a a woman closest to the ocean. She wears an anchor necklace and holds hat against the breeze from the sea. Her anxious expression and her fixed gaze to the horizon. She represents a waiting woman grieven for her lost love one. Official Defence photo.
.
.
.
.
