United States Armed Forces Military Cemetery

Manson Park

East of the main Ipswich Cemetery, along Cemetery Road, thereis a small open area named Manson Park. A simple white monument is in the centre and a plaque was placed there in 1971 by Major J. Watson of the United States Air Force “to honour the American Servicemen who paid the supreme sacrifice during World War II".

The monument was once the base of a flag pole which flew the American flag in the United States Armed Forces (USAF) Military Cemetery. During World War II, many American servicemen died or were killed in action in Australia or the surrounding area. It was not possible to return their bodies to America for burial so a war cemetery was set up in Ipswich.

Place information

Location

Cemetery Road

Raceview, QLD 4305

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Place type

Cemetery

History

Accounts written about Manson Park say that the final number of burials was 1260 and that the area was a field of small white crosses. Most burials were documented but some were unknown and there were three burials for members of the Javenese Dutch Army.

At the end of the war, more bodies were transferred to Ipswich from Townsville and New Guinea. The final number of entries in the Burial Register for the USAF Cemetery was 1402.

In November 1947, the United States ship 'Goucher Victory' arrived in Australia to return the dead to their native country.

To exhume the bodies, 190 Australian...

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