Steve Buster Johnson's website is the only place you will find headstone photographs for these two CWGC Cemeteries. This website also has photographs of memorials for the fallen at other British cemeteries in Iraq, including Amara and Basra.

The Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery is undergoing restoration efforts with the involvement of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Steve Buster Johnson's ongoing advocacy aims to ensure that the cemetery is maintained and preserved to honour the memory of the British servicemen and women buried there. The latest news is that arrangements are being made to employ the services of a local (viz. Iraqi) project manager who will be able to manage the contractors who will carry out the next stage of restoration. Currently CWGC employees are not permitted to travel to Iraq and this makes it difficult to manage the project, especially the sensitive issue of not disturbing the remains of the 300 people buried at Ma'Asker.

Steve Buster Johnson started this website 20 years ago while researching for his first book, 'For God, England & Ethel', about his grandfather's service with 6 Squadron Royal Flying Corps during WWI. Many findings didn't make it into the book, so Steve created the website to share them. As his knowledge and involvement with the 6 Squadron RAF Association grew, so did the website. Over time, Steve published more books and expanded the site's topics. The biggest change came in 2018 when he discovered an abandoned RAF Cemetery in Baghdad, leading to his ongoing restoration efforts. The website grew as Steve took on more projects and received more queries. While the site is extensive, it contains unique information not found elsewhere.

In the twenty years since Steve Buster Johnson retired he has helped hundreds of people and organisations in researching the military history of a member of the British Forces (mostly the Royal Air Force but sometimes the British Army) who died service. In many cases Steve has been able to determine the cause of death and the final resting place of the body where these details have been lost over time. Many times Steve has been told that he solved a mystery in a matter of days that had taken family members decades of frustration in not being able to find the answer. Steve has never and will never charge for this service as the satisfaction in helping to solve mysteries is reward enough. Over the years Steve has been presented with a number of difficult challenges, some of which have led to unexpected results. Here are a few of the more unusual examples:

Steve Buster Johnson discovered three WW1 heroes who kept their bravery from the families and unintentionally debunked five self-proclaimed WW1 RAF heroes who used their fictionalised 'fame' in order to advance their careers or family respect (Steve left it up to the families concerned as to what if anything they would do with his findings). Steve also identified the hitherto unknown final resting place for five RAF servicemen, in Iraq, France and England as well as identifying a missing headstone for a Norwegian sailor in a CWGC War Cemetery in Iraq. However, two of the most gratifying projects resulted in the surprise reunification of extended family members.

If you feel Steve could help you with your research into finding out what happened to a close or distant family member who lost their life while in the service of the British Armed Forces, all it takes is to send him a message via the Contact page on the Steve Buster Johnson website

You can request help by sending me a message through the Contact page on my website. Please provide as much information as possible about your relative, including their full name, service number, and any known details about their service. I will do my best to assist you in uncovering their military history.