THE cousin of a Southend airman who died in a plane crash helped the authorities identify the fallen hero’s body by providing a DNA sample.

Anthony Thorpe, 68, of Eastwood Old Road, Leigh, knew little of his cousin, RAF corporal Phillip Bryant, until the hunt to retrieve his body from the Malaysian jungle gathered pace in 2008.

The Echo retold the story of the death of Corp Bryant, 25, from Southend, and 11 others when their Dakota plane crashed during the Malaysian emergency, in 1950.

Their bodies were lost to the jungle for more than 60 years, buried in shallow graves, until last week, when they were given a full military funeral at the Cheras Road Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Mr Thorpe, Corp Bryant’s only surviving relative in the borough, said he had been shocked to learn how his cousin had died and pleased he had now been given a proper burial.

He said: “Most of the family moved to Gosport, in Hampshire, so when I was younger I never really heard that much about Phillip.

“Then in 2008, when the search party found the bodies, a cousin contacted me, asking for a DNA sample to help identify Phillip.

“I had to ask him what he was on about.

“I couldn’t believe it when I heard the whole story for the first time. It’s such an amazing, yet tragic, tale.

“It makes me very proud to see him given a full respectful send-off at last.”

The 12 men – seven RAF personnel and five civilians – died when the plane crashed in a ravine while on a mission, mark ing out Communist positions for bombers to target.

In 2008, a relative of another crash victim contacted the Malaysian tourist office in Britain about the incident, prompting the despatch of a 150-strong search party to the dense jungle in search of the graves.

After the victims were laid to rest in the war cemetery, each family was presented with the Elizabeth Cross in recognition their relative’s service.

Mr Thorpe said he now planned to contact his two brothers, who live in Australia, to tell them about their cousin’s service and his hero’s reburial, along with copies of the Echo’s story.