Francis D. Milne – Pilot Officer

Royal Australian Air Force

Pilot Officer Milne died on a World War II air mission while serving with a U. S. Aircrew on November 26, 1942. He was a member of a multinational flight crew whose remains were discovered in New Guinea in 1989. Since his remains, and those of the United States Army Air Corps Technical Sergeant (Joseph E. Paul), were individually unidentifiable, they were buried together in the same casket in grave 4754, Section 34, Arlington National Cemetery.

This information was researched, and then located, due to a number of inquiries received from Australian citizens in November 1997. As far as can be determined, he is the only Australian thus far buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Each ANZAC Day 25 April, (our equivalent of the American Veterans Day) there is a small ceremony at the site by the RAAF staff in Washington, D.C. following the Commemorative Service in the National Cathedral. The Prime Minister of Australia joined in the tradition and visited the gravesite in 1997 during an official visit to Washington

In Memory of
Pilot Officer FRANCIS DEBENHAM MILNE
Royal Australian Air Force who died aged 25 on Thursday, 26th November 1942.
Pilot Officer MILNE was the son of Francis Rupert and Mignonette Milne;
husband of Nance May Milne, of Southport, Queensland.

Remembered with honour
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Virginia, United States of America.

In the perpetual care of the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard