Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Stanley Edgar Reichstein was born at Booleroo Centre 9 November 1919, son of Heinrich Edgar and Amy Olive (nee Pitchers) Reichstein. Heinrich and Amy farmed Section’s 22s, 22n, and 33, Hundred of Willowie.

Stan joined the Militia as part of 48th Battalion on 16 June 1941 and allocated SN S26853. He commenced full time duty with the 48th on 15 December that year. Two days later he was granted ‘harvest leave without pay’, rejoining the unit on 16 January 1941.

He was then detached to Loveday Internment Camp, near Barmera, South Australia. This camp was one of a number of POW camps called the Loveday Internment Group, and accommodated German, Italian and Japanese internees from the various states of Australia, as well as POW’s from the Middle East theatre.

On 22 February the unit was entrained to Victoria where he was briefly assigned to the Bellerine Peninsula and Geelong Force, before the unit transferred to New South Wales in early May 1942. He took leave without pay at the start of June 42, but was then admitted to 5 Field Ambulance with Gastric Influenza, returning to the unit at the end of July.

27 August 1942 the 48th Bn converted to 108 Light Anti Aircraft Regiment (108 LAA Regt). Stan was posted to 149 LAA Battery, one of three subordinate unit’s of the 108 LAA. They were issued with 40mm Bofors Anti Aircraft Guns, developed by A.B Bofors of Sweden in 1929. It fired a 2lbs (1kg) high explosive shell at 2,800 ft/sec (848m/sec) at 120 rounds per minute, with a maximum ceiling of 7,151 metres.

Several more stints in hospital followed before he was transferred to the AIF on 6 August 1942 and allocated Army number SX22691. Another spell in hospital followed before he was moved to Newcastle A/A Group at the end of February 1943. On 10 May 1943 149 LAA Bty was given a short leave period in SA before transferring to the Northern Territory. Arriving on 13 June, Battery HQ along with A and D platoons located to Coomalie Creek airfield, while B and D platoons moved to Fenton. From September 1943 through to late 1944, platoons were reorganised and shifted around to various locations. The Battery finally came together at Long Airfield in November 1944. However, with no further threat to the Northern Territory, 149 LAA Bty moved to NSW in December 1944 to disband. Stan was subsequently moved around to several training units prior to his deployment overseas.

He boarded the troopship ‘Duntroon’ on 12 July 1945 for service in New Guinea, disembarking at Wewak on the north coast, and was assigned to the 2/8th Infantry Battalion. He stayed with the 2/8th until December 1945 when he was transferred to the 110 Brigade Workshop, also at Wewak, and then to 32 Malarial Control Unit situated at Lae.

He arrived back in Australia on 10 February 1946, before being formally discharged from the army on 19 March 1946. Returning to Willowie he farmed Section 33, Hundred of Willowie. He never married.

Stanley died on 25 May 1998, aged 78 years, at Booleroo Centre, and is buried at Booleroo Centre Cemetery, Plot 826.

Excerpt taken from "Diggers from the Dust" (2018) Di Barrie & Andrew Barrie.