Help reunite medals with John Sheehan's descendants

Gary Traynor, the man behind the very worthy veteran projects - Medals Gone Missing and Kuttabul Commemoration Project - is seeking those with surname SHEEHAN, so he can re-unit original World War 2 medals with the descendants of their winner - John Frederick Sheehan.

Contact: Gary Traynor on 0449 692401 | 02 44740199 or on customerservice[at]medalsgonemissing.com

Read on for more on Medals Gone Missing and John Frederick Sheehan.

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A chance purchase on ebay of a set of three war service medals, has revealed the amazing service life of a man from the 2/31st Infantry Battalion.

Information from Mr Walter Robertson, Secretary of the 2/31st Infantry Battalion has revealed that John Frederick SHEEHAN was an original member of 2/31 bn, having joined in England from the 2/10 bn.  Mr Robertson’s research indicates that John embarked to the Middle East on the 03rd of January, 1941.  He was deployed to New Guinea on the 31st of August, 1942 and after having fought on the Kokoda Trail and the severe fighting at Gona, returned to Australia.

John was redeployed back to New Guinea on the 23rd of July, 1943 where he served at Lae, Ramu Valley and Finisterre Range.  He was then with the unit when it landed at Moratai in June 1945.   Very heavy casualties were suffered by this unit at Balikpapan, but John is not listed as wounded, so the Secretary of the 2/31st Battalion does not know at this stage why John left the unit in July 1945.

When these medals were located on ebay, it was not imagined that this man would have been one of the original members who joined the unit in Britain.  To think that he joined the unit in England and served from 1940 all the way through the war to 1945 in this fine battalion is amazing.  And no doubt, there is a strong possibility that he saw action in all of these arduous campaigns.  It is saddening to think what he went through.

And this is the first set of 2/31st medals that have been in the custody of Medals Gone Missing.  It will be a pleasure and an honour to return these medals to the family and I seek your assistance.  For many of the early enlisters, the “stars” (1939-1945 Star, Africa Star and Pacific Star) often were NOT engraved.  So it is possible that we will never locate these medals.  However, John’s stars may have been stamped with his name and have become separated from these discs, so anything is possible.

As this year is the 70th Anniversary of Kokoda, I will be carrying these medals across the Kokoda Track next week as a symbol of respect for John’s service. My organisation is a NOT FOR PROFIT body and I do not charge any fees for this service.  My sole aim is to get these missing war medals back to the family.

If you have any friends or associates whose surname is SHEEHAN could you please be kind enough to make inquiries if there is any relationship.

My thanks go out to Mr. Walter ROBERTSON, Secretary of the 2/31st Infantry Battalion who is conducting the research into the service of John Frederick SHEEHAN.

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Contact: Gary Traynor on 0449 692401 or customerservice[at]medalsgonemissing.com

Want to know more about the 2/31st Infantry Battalion? Go to the Australian War Memorial unit history.

Remembering HMAS Kuttabul :: About the midget submarines

Each issue we find that we have more and more to fit into our magazine and Steven Carruthers article on the 1942 attack on Sydney Harbour was no different. Now we have a way of showing you so much more.

Our iPad version allows us to include galleries of images, audio and video that simply can't go into our print edition at the newsagents.

As part of our article to commemorate the 1942 attack and those brave men lost in the sinking of the HMAS Kuttabul and the Japanese midget submarines, the talented people at Headland Creative have produced superb animations that take you back to those terrible days 70 years ago and show us something of the Japanese perspective.

Beneath the waves & in the air

Inside the Japanese midget submarine

Be part of the Kuttabul Commemoration:
The lunchtime re-enactment cruise is an endorsed fundraising event in support of Legacy. Organisers wish to bring into the public eye the great work performed by Legacy year round, for the widows and orphans of our deceased servicemen and women. The Kuttabul Commemoration Project’s Sydney Harbour Cruise is a major event on the 70th anniversary calendar in remembering the events of 1942.

Tickets for this solemn and memorable event are available through Gary Traynor. Tickets are $80 and numbers are limited. Gary is the founder of a not-for-profit website called Medals Gone Missing. This site helps to reunite families with war service medals that have become lost. Visit Medals Gone Missing and click on “Events”, or like it on Facebook - Kuttabul Commemoration Project for more on the project.

Issue 10; May - June is now available!

Inside History is for people passionate about Australian and New Zealand genealogy, history and heritage. In our May–June edition (issue 10):

• We’re looking at cemeteries, preservation success stories, and new resources. 
• Did your ancestor travel to the Klondike to strike it rich in the 1890s? Read our exclusive new research.
• Meet the volunteers who’ve traced the descendants of those who died on HMAS Kuttabul in 1942.
• Explore The Australian Women’s Weekly, digitised on Trove.
• Find out how Phryne Fisher creator, Kerry Greenwood, researches her murder mysteries. 
• Plus, there’s a fantastic Flip-PalTM scanner to be won! 

And much more – in fact, 76 pages of terrific features, practical information on genealogy, chances to network with other family historians, and book and app reviews. On sale now.

Issue 10 is available in newsagents nationally - click here to see where. You can also request us at your local newsagent, and we'll make sure that our next Issue 11; Jul-Aug 2012 is sent there for you!

Authors to look out for in Issue 10:

• Australian genealogist :: Jill Ball @geniaus
• Military historian :: Steven Carruthers
• Australian genealogist :: Cathy Dunn @historianCathyd
• Author :: Hazel Edwards @muirmoir
• Journalist :: Miranda Farrell
• Journalist :: Barry Gittens
• Journalist :: Paula Grunseit @PaulaGrunseit
• Australian genealogist :: Barbara Hall @Irish Wattle
• Australian genealogist :: Carolyn Harris
• New Zealand genealogist :: Helen Leggatt @GenealogyJourno
• Charles Sturt University historian:: Robin McLachlan
• City historian Sydney :: Lisa Murray @SydneyClio
• History SA historian :: Mandy Paul @HistorySA
• Australian genealogist :: Annie Payne @annie_histheart
• University of New England historian :: Andrew Piper
• Australian genealogist :: Sandra Playle
• Military historian :: Matt Smith
• Journalist :: Emma Sutcliffe @littleriveremma
• Australian genealogist :: Kerry Waight
• New Zealand genealogist :: Mark Webster @macnzMark
• University of New England historian :: Janis Wilton

Have a sneak peak inside our new magazine; Issue 10; May-June 2012.

Remembering the attack on HMAS Kuttabul

Next year is the 70th Anniversary of the sinking of HMAS Kuttabul. On 31 May 1942 three Japanese midget submarines launched an attack on vessels in Sydney Harbour, shaking the Australian population to the core. This audacious attack struck the converted ferry HMAS Kuttabul with a torpedo and 21 men were killed.

It is believed that the 21 Naval Ratings whom lost their lives aboard the ill-fated HMAS Kuttabul were unwitting victims aboard a target, not of the Japanese choosing. The intended target of Midget Submarine M24 during this Japanese raid was the American Heavy Cruiser; U.S.S. Chicago which had been spotted by a Japanese observation plane launched by the ‘mother’ submarine I-24 the previous day. Unfortunately any other large allied vessel was fair game. However a former harbour ferry, converted into a Naval Depot ship would not be worth wasting a torpedo on, especially when each midget sub only carried two torpedoes each.

Findmypast.com.au is looking for the descendants of the men that perished on this vessel. On 31 May 2012, a commemoration ceremony will take place to remember the 21 men who lost their lives on this day. We would like to connect the descendants with the organisers, so that they can be involved in this special event.

Gary Traynor, Project Officer of the Kuttabul Commemoration Project commented: “The loss of any serviceman during a time of war is tragic, and no single sacrifice deserves to be classed as more important than another. What sets this small group of men apart, is the fact that their loss took place in what was considered at that time, to be a relatively safe haven in Sydney Harbour. The names of these 21 sailors have been recorded on a few small memorials, however very little else is known about them. On the 70th Anniversary of their death, it is hoped that their unwitting part played in this attack upon Sydney Harbour will be remembered and their story told.  Making contact with the descendants of each man is a fundamental part of this commemoration, for nobody can tell the story of their ancestor, better than the families who still remember and mourn their loss. We have been so pleased to work with findmypast.com.au to help us to make contact, and have already had some success”.

Emma Kelly, Marketing Executive at findmypast.com.au: “This commemoration is such a wonderful opportunity to honour these brave sailors that lost their lives serving their country. We are so pleased to support this event and find as many descendants of these fallen men as possible.”

With the support of the Royal Australian Navy, this special ceremony will honour the lives lost during this tragic event. The proceeds of this commemoration will go to Legacy Australia, who cares for widows and orphaned children of servicemen and women who have lost their lives as a result of military service.

Please email findmypast, if you are a descendant of one of these men or if you have any information.

HMAS Kuttabul in Sydney Harbour after the Japanese midget submarine attack