US MILITARY CEMETERY TOWNSVILLE
LOCATED AT BELGIAN GARDENS, TOWNSVILLE, QLD
DURING WW2

There were approximately 390 US Servicemen
buried in the Townsville US Cemetery

The details for 215 of these are listed below

There were many more US Servicemen who were killed in north Queensland in Aircraft Crashes. Their bodies were never recovered, particularly from those  that crashed into the sea off the north Queensland coastline

Graves Registration Section,
Quartermaster Section, Base Section Two

The US Military Cemetery in Townsville was located in sections 2E, 2G and 4G right beside Jimmy's Lookout Click on drawing to enlarge

The Cemetery was closed in 1946. All of the deceased who were buried in this US Cemetery were exhumed after the war and their remains were returned to the USA for burial in their home town cemeteries.

The flagpole from this former US Cemetery site has been relocated to the NQ Military Museum in the grounds of Jezzine Barracks at Kissing Point.

"The base for this flag pole was erected during World War II at the American Cemetery located in Townsville. The cemetery was closed in 1946 when the bodies were removed and reburied in America in the soldiers home town cemeteries. Our many thanks to the 18th Field Squ. Royal Australian Engineers - Lavarack Barracks Townsville who carried out the removal - movement - and resetting of this flag pole base from the old cemetery located near Belgian Gardens to this current location. Our many thanks to the Townsville City Council and members of the Coral Sea Commemoration for making the 5th Air Force Memorial possible."

	The Eagle from the top of the original flagpole is now located on the flagpole at the Scout Den just up the road from the Townsville War Cemetery at Belgian Gardens where 222 Australian service personnel were buried.
	"To commemorate the presentation of Flag Pole and Eagle by His Excellency U.S. Ambassador P.H. Alston 21 - 6 - 1980 Don by C.R.P.L."

NOTE:- I have used a colour scheme to indicate those who were killed in a single event such as an Air Crash or a road accident. I've alternated between a pastel green and pastel blue colour and yellow. In some cases there may be a burial in the middle of a number of burials from the one incident. In this case I have kept the same colour either side of the other unrelated burial. 

In some cases I have added links from words such as (Air Crash) which will take you to another home page which will give you the details of the event. I have also added other links to take you to details on the Unit that the person served with.

I have tried to make this table an exact replica of the Burial Records. The only real change I have made is to the date format to make sure there is no confusion between the American and Australian way of showing days and months. Any words shown in red are my extra notes.

There are a large number of service personnel buried on 12 April 1943. This NARA photograph below states that there were twenty-six men of the 2nd Service Squadron in the burial service shown in the photo and that they were apparently killed in an airplane take-off in April 1943. After some collaborative research with Peter Murray in Townsville, it is now confirmed that the caption under the burial photograph below is incorrect in stating that all of the men were members of the 2nd Service Squadron. There were also men from two other aircraft crashes and two men from the 91st Engineers also buried on that same day.

The NARA Photo is incorrectly titled:- "An American Cemetery at Townsville, Australia where twenty-six men
 of the 2nd Service Squadron are being buried. They were killed in an airplane take-off. April 1943."

See below for details of the 26 men buried at the US Cemetery at Belgian Gardens in Townsville on 12 April 1943. The men in the first two aircraft crashes below along with the two men from the 91st Engineers had been initially buried at Thursday Island and were then exhumed for reburial in Townsville on 12 April 1943. All US service personnel buried at the US Cemetery in Townsville were then exhumed again and reburied in the US Cemetery in Ipswich in July 1945. They were exhumed again after the war and moved back to the USA for final burial based on their family's wishes.:-

Crash of B-17E Flying Fortress, #41-2655, near Horn Island on 13 July 1942

Crash of B-17E Flying Fortress #41-2421, at Horn Island on 16 July 1942

91st Engineers accidents

Crash of B-25C Mitchell #41-12904, 8 miles north east of Townsville on 8 April 1943

USAF Military Cemetery Ipswich

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Peter Fox (now deceased), of the Australian War Graves, Townsville War Cemetery for his assistance with this home page.

I'd also like to thank Ray Holyoak, Peter Murray and Bob Alford for their assistance with this web page.

Can anyone help me with more information?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 31 December 2001

This page last updated 13 December 2023