Australian World War II soldiers’ partial remains recovered off Kokoda Track, grave sites untouched for 80 years

via ABC News, 25 July 2023: Australian archaeologists recovered partial remains of 15 World War II soldiers on the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, who were buried in temporary graves during the 1942 battles, thanks to a chance discovery by a local landowner in 2018.

The partial remains of 15 Australian World War II soldiers may never have been found if not for a Papua New Guinean landowner upgrading his property.

Templeton’s Crossing is deep into PNG’s Kokoda Track — accessible either by several days’ walk or a helicopter flight from Port Moresby.

The area marks the site of a series of battles fought in October 1942, during Japan’s withdrawal along the Kokoda Track.

During the fighting, 65 Australian soldiers were buried in temporary graves at Templeton’s Crossing, among more than 600 soldiers killed in the Kokoda campaign.

Source: Australian World War II soldiers’ partial remains recovered off Kokoda Track, grave sites untouched for 80 years – ABC News