Fresh appeal to find surviving relatives of Wirral soldier killed in Malaysia plane crash in 1950

Aug 10 2011 by Lorna Hughes, Wallasey News

THE Ministry of Defence has renewed an appeal for information about the surviving relatives of a Wirral soldier who died in Malaysia more than 60 years ago.

Oliver Arthur Goldsmith, from Birkenhead, was a passenger on board an RAF Dakota aircraft in 1950 when it crashed into a ravine in the Malaysian jungle, killing all on board.

Two expeditions by the Malaysian Army and the British Defence Attache, in Kuala Lumpar in 2008, found wreckage identified as that of the missing plane.

It is hoped human remains buried nearby can be reinterred in the nearest Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Kuala Lumpar – but the MoD needs to carry out DNA testing to identify the remains.

An MoD spokesman said: “Following the discovery of the remains of British Service personnel from historic battlefields or crash sites, we attempt to identify any living relatives so that they can be involved in the subsequent re-interment and memorial service.

Mr Goldsmith, a Royal Army Service Corps dispatcher, was 21 when the aircraft crashed, killing 12 people.

He was on the plane with colleague Ray Wilson, also from Wirral.

The two men were fighting in a conflict known as the Malayan Emergency, fought by British and other security forces in Malaya against Communist insurgents from 1948 to 1960.

When the Communist Party of Malaya sought Malayan independence, Britain responded by mounting a large-scale military and political counter-insurgency operation.

However, Malaya eventually gained independence in 1957.

Rescue parties took over a week to reach the site on foot after the RAF Dakota plane crashed on August 25, 1950.

On September 3, the bodies found were buried nearby due to the difficult terrain and the security situation in the area.

The MoD tracked down Mr Wilson’s relatives following the original appeal in 2008.

The appeal led to some new information about Mr Goldsmith’s half-brother, but not enough to establish his whereabouts.

His grandmother Rebecca Leighlin is believed to have lived at 16 Homecroft, Marshlands Road in Neston.

His mother is thought to have re-married and had another son who may have lived in New Brighton.

Anyone with information should call 0306770 1322.