Twenty-five years after her involvement in a project to obtain an Honour Board for local veterans at Federal Memorial Hall, Tanya Easterby returned to the region where her journey to reconnect with defence force personnel led her to Pomona Cemetery. There she discovered the unmarked graves of veterans and now seeks to honour their service with commemorative war graves, a process that requires the approval of the deceased’s family members or burial right holders, as in the case of Private John Andersen as Tanya Easterby reports.
‘Lest we Forget’ the service and sacrifice of our late ANZAC, Private John Andersen who is one of several veterans interred in an unmarked grave at Pomona Cemetery this Remembrance Day.
This country defender who embarked from Australia in February 1915, served with the 2nd Light Horse Regiment at Gallipoli, before proceeding to France in September 1916, to be taken on strength with the 31st Battalion.
Private Andersen was wounded in action in the fields of France on three separate occasions, receiving gunshot wounds to the right foot, knee and left thigh.
This Light Horseman and infantry soldier served with courage and endurance, fulfilling the oath he had sworn on enlistment to serve the Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force for the term of his enlistment period. He was then drafted to be returned home via England in December 1918.
His battle in a foreign land may have been over but another was only to begin in his homeland after discharge with long term effects of service-related injuries to his legs and in later years suffering with heart disease and influenza.
Early this year an application was submitted to the Department of Veteran Affairs for Private Andersen to be assessed to determine if he would be eligible for official commemoration to mark his grave.
In August the late Private John Andersen, was found eligible for official commemoration by the Office of Australian War Graves in recognition of his war service.
However, the Office of Australian War Graves requires evidence that permission has been sought and granted to mark this veteran’s grave prior to any work being undertaken. The relevant cemetery authority Noosa Regional Council must provide written permission to mark Private Andersen’s grave.
Noosa Shire Council lawyers have deemed that any unmarked grave, civilian or veteran will not be marked without the approval of the burial right holder or descendants, citing legal prosecution or that the veteran may not want to be recognised for their service.
I appeal to the citizens of Pomona to become genealogists to help with locating living relatives to seek permission to mark the grave of the late ANZAC Private John Andersen.
In his later years John relocated to Pomona and was residing with his brother Arthur at Mountain Road under the shade of Mount Cooroora, ‘King of the Mountain’ until his passing on the 1 August 1969. His brother Arthur was the burial right holder and informant with no current contact on council file.
John was born in Mitchell, Queensland to parents Ole Hansen Andersen and Emma Agnes Masters. Emma’s parents were Aaron Masters and Eliza Tickle.
John’s siblings, Herbert James Andersen was Killed in Action in France, brother George Hansen Andersen and sisters Anna Isabella Hutson and Ada Rebeca Paix are deceased.
Over 130 Defence Force personnel have been located within the Pomona Cemetery representing service in the Boer War, Great War, World War II, the British Commonwealth Occupation Force, bombing of Darwin, Korea and Vietnam with personnel from the English Army.
Further graves are unmarked and have been approved for a commemorative war grave and many are being assessed further for commemoration.
Contact Tanya on 0438 850 109 to continue the mission to have our veterans in unmarked graves marked with a war grave commemoration to honour their service and sacrifice to his country, and to remember the human cost of war.
