Hundreds of forgotten veterans remembered at Ipswich war memorial
Hundreds of once-forgotten defence personnel will be remembered on a dedicated memorial wall at a Queensland cemetery.
Korean War veteran Matthew Rennie has spent 20 years researching the name of each veteran buried at the Ipswich General Cemetery.
Many buried in unmarked graves died at the nearby Sandy Gallop Asylum after returning from World War I shell-shocked with what we would now describe as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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Korean War veteran Matthew Rennie survived being shot in the head in 1953 and will be 91 next month. 9News
Rennie survived being shot in the head in 1953 and will be 91 next month.
"These are veterans, these are returned men and there's no recognition for them," Rennie said.
"They were the foundation of this country as we know it really... they got no recognition for what they did."
Rennie has spent 20 years researching the name of each veteran buried at the Ipswich General Cemetery. 9News
Rennie has added 156 names from a number of wars to a memorial wall. 9News
He said there was a stigma attached to the soldiers who had PTSD and people didn't want to know about it.
Rennie has added 156 names from a number of wars to a memorial wall.
Another 126 will be added when this second wall is complete.
Korean War veteran Matthew Rennie. 9News
Rennie's work became a reality thanks to donations from locals and the expertise of the 6th Engineer Support Regiment.
About 37,000 people were buried there and Rennie has vowed to continue searching for other veterans who also deserved recognition.
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