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Australia

Reg Sinclair was born in Moonta, a copper mining town in 1920. His father Leslie John Hanncock Sinclair was a miner and with his wife Ethel Olive (nee Butler) they raised six sons and a daughter, Lillian Mavis, Ray, Norm, Reg, Ian, Jack and Allan.

In 1922 the family moved to Adelaide and resided in Chapel St. Norwood, where he must have had an adventurous upbringing. According to the 1934 Police Gazette, Reg and his mate Mervyn were fined one pound each for offensive behaviour.

He married his lifelong partner Adeline Mavis Wahlheim, known as Mavis at the age of 19 in the office of the Old Maugham Church, Adelaide. They had three children, two sons and a daughter.

Reg was working as a filling machinist for W Woodroofe Ltd. when he first enlisted on the 20th Feb. 1940 (S47384) and was part of the 108 anti tank regiment.

In March he was called up to commence full time duties. He was trained to be a driver/ mechanic,skills that according to his enlistment papers he already had, as well as being able to drive a horse team.

In June 1944 he was transferred to the 2/24th Australian Infantry Battalion (see link) and April 45 embarked Cairns for Morotai, an island in present day Indonesia that was a key staging point and air base for American operations in the Phillipenes and Australian operations in Borneo.It was here Reg suffered a groin hernia and underwent surgery and a three week stay in hospital before returning to his unit.

Embarking Morotai aboard the William Hashley, Reg arrived in Tarakan on 2/7/45. The Borneo Campaign, known as operation Oboe, ran from July to August and consisred of three operations. The taking of Tarakan, Labuan Island, and Balikpapan. In all it cost 588 Australians killed and 1524 wounded. (See link)

Reg returned to Sydney in November and was discharged in January.

Back in Adelaide he drove trucks for a living, building some of the states major roads, and was a long time member of the Freemasons. He bought a block of land at Port Hughes near Moonta, and with his brothers built a holiday shack, a place enjoyed by many extended family for years. A keen fisherman there was a boat in the shed named Sivam.(Mavis backwards) On retirement from truck driving he accompanied one of his sons on his business affairs to many remote areas of the state and beyond.

Mavis Sinclair died on 14/7/93. Reg and Mavis were married for fifty four years. Two months later Reg was found dead of a heart attack sitting in a lounge chair watching the cricket. Thier ashes are interred together at Centennial Park cemetery.

Brothers who served.

Norman Sinclair (Norm)

Private 12 Small Ships Company

AIF WW2 SX 31069

Jack Sinclair

Private Occupation Force Japan

AIF WW2 SX 34420