Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

REGINALD SYLVESTER KISS (1892-1959) born at Cootamundra, son of James William Thomas Randolph and Emma Jane Kiss nee Jones. He enlisted on June 22nd, 1915 at Liverpool as Private 2835, and passed his medical examination the same day. His papers show that he was 5'9¼" tall, weighed 162llbs, fair complexion, brown eyes, fair hair and was of the Roman Catholic Faith. His occupation was that of a farmer. He was appointed to the 9th Reinforcements, 2nd Battalion 1st AIF. On September 30th, 1915 he embarked on the HMAT Argyllshire bound for Alexandria in the Canal Zone. On February 15th, at the Australian Camp on Tel-el-Kebir he was promoted to Lance Corporal and the following day was transferred to the 54th Battalion, A Company, 14th Brigade.
On June 19th, he and the Battalion embarked aboard the HT Caledonian to join the British Expeditionary Forces in France, and arrived at Marseilles on June 20th, 1916. It appears that the troops were immediately sent to the front where just three weeks later on July 19th, he was wounded in action. Subsequent reports stated that it was thought that his wounds were not serious. He was posted as missing in action and it was not until August 25th, 1916 that he was unofficially listed as a Prisoner of War. This was confirmed on the November 16th, when his family were informed that he was interred at Dulmen Barrack, 6B, Germany. It is believed that he was taken prisoner at Bevante on the day he had been wounded and interred at Munster. On June 13th, June 1918 he was transferred to Holland for internment in a camp there and on the November 23rd, was repatriated to Ripon, England following Germany's surrender. He returned to Australia aboard the Zealandic on the 26th August 1919.