The Soldier's Details
- Surname:
- Reid
- First Name:
- Vernon Spence
- Nick Name:
- Vern
- Rank:
- Private
- Regimental #:
- WX17857
- Company:
- ‘A’ Company No. 5 Platoon
- Enlisted:
- 3.02.1941
- Discharged:
- 14.12.1945
- DOB:
- 2.05.1919
- Place of Birth:
- Pingelly, Western Australia
- Father's Name:
- Maude Hemingway Reid
- Mothers's Name:
- Rose Helen 'Nellie' Reid (nee Smithson)
- Religion:
- Church of England
- Pre-war Occupation:
- Farmhand
- Singapore:
- Selarang Camp Changi;
- Force:
- ‘A’ Force Burma, Green Force, No. 3
- Camps Thailand:
- Tamarkan, Bangkok (go‐downs)
- Camps Burma:
- Victoria Point, Kendau 4.8km, Thetkaw 14 km, Meiloe 75km, Aungganaung 75 km
- POW#:
- 1498
- Return Details 1945:
- Thailand-Singapore by aircraft; Singapore-Fremantle, HMT Circassia
General Description
Vern Reid enlisted 3 Dec 1941 and was included in the reinforcements for 2/4th. They boarded ‘Aquitania’ in Gage Road, Fremantle on 15 January and sailed the following day for Singapore. It was on board ‘Aquitania’ where the bulk of 2/4th were having sailed from Darwin via Sydney. Reid was grabbed by Jack Schurmann as a reinforcement to 5 Platoon.
He had previously joined 25th Machine Gun Regiment Militia.
He was fortunate not to be included with the largest number of reinforcements who formed ‘E’ Company. Nearly half ‘E’ Company died in a Japanese ambush at Bukit Timah about 11 or 12 February 1942. Instead Vern was sent to reinforce ‘A’ Company 5 Platoon under Commanding Officer Lt Walton.
Reid was wounded in action at Buona Vista on 15/2/192. He was evacuated to 2/9th Field Ambulance at St Andrews Cathedral a few hours before surrender with shrapnel wounds to his left hip, right leg and right rapiteal space behind the knee. Transferred to 2/13th Australian General Hospital until discharged to unit on 22/2/1942.
As a POW in Singapore Reid was in the first work party to leave Singapore ‘A’ Force Burma Green Force No. 3 Battalion sailing to south west Burma to work on repairing and enlarging airfields before moving to the northern most point of the railway in Burma.
Please read further about Green Force
He was recovered from Tamarkan when the war ended.
At Bangkok University Reid stayed behind as cook with Peter Gairdner.
BANGKOK, THAILAND. 1945-09-15. COOKS PREPARING THE EVENING MEAL AT THE PRISONER OF WAR (POW) BRANCH HEADQUARTERS, RECOVERED ALLIED POW AND INTERNEES UNIT TRANSIT CAMP FOR 8TH AUSTRALIAN DIVISION, EX-POWS OF THE JAPANESE AWAITING TRANSPORT BACK HOME TO AUSTRALIA. SHOWN: PRIVATE (PTE) R. HANSEN, 2/4TH MACHINE GUN BATTALION (1); PTE S. T. MARTIN, 2/4TH MACHINE GUN BATTALION (2); PTE V. X. REID, 2/4TH MACHINE GUN BATTALION (3); PTE D. E. HANNA, AUSTRALIAN ARMY SERVICE CORPS, 8TH DIVISION (4).
Below is the Wandering WW2. Memorial which includes the names of Vern and probably his brother Charlie.
Vern was the third born of five sons born to parents Maude Hemmingway Reid and Rose Helen ‘Nellie’ Smithson who married 1911 at Beverley. Maude and Nellie farmed in the West Pingelly and Wandering region. Nellie’s family of Smithson had farmed at Wandering for decades.
In about 1947 Vern married Frances ‘Mary’ Crane at Williams. Vern and Mary farmed at Crossman from late 1950’s through to his death on 14 April, 2002 aged 89 years. He was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery.
Mary Crane’s was the only daughter of a large family of boys to parents John ‘Jack’ Thomas Crane who d. Wandering 9 Feb 1952 and Laura Myrtle Grace Guttrey who d. 9 Nov 1985 at Boddington.
Below: Vern’s Grandmother (Smithson) died 1913.
Nellie’s mother.
Nellie Reid’s brother died France 1917.
Vern’s father Maude died 25 July 1955 at Wandering. His mother ‘Nellie’ died Narrogin 27 July 1979.
Vern Reid died 4 April 2008 aged 89 years and was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery.
