The ongoing inquiry into the 1941 sinking of HMAS Sydney has concluded that a body which was washed up on Christmas Island in February 1942 came from the ship. It had drifted in a life raft called a Carley float for 3 months and is the only body to have been recovered. A theory for what happened to the others was raised ealier at the inquiry.
The body was buried on Christmas Island by a district officer, and there were doubts as to whether it was an Australian or a sailor. However it was exhumed in 2006 and forensically examined before being reburied with full military honours in Geraldton last year.
The examination of four press studs showed that they had the markings of “Ca Au”, which inducated they had been made by an Australian company. Fragments of textiles that were attached to the press studs indicated that he had been wearing a boiler suit of the type worn by Australian sailors.
The commissioner of inquiry into the sinking, Terence Cole, QC, found that the remains were those of a sailor from the HMAS Sydney. A fragment of metal taken from the skull contained manganese, chromium and silicon, all of which were used by Germany to produce armour piercing shells.
Here is a link to an article from the Sydney Morning Herald.
