Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Born in Adelaide on the 14th January 1920, Max was the only son of Charles Collingwood and Dulcie Reed. Max had two younger sisters, Verna and Sylvia. Their father, Charles worked as an agent for Murdoch and Company and was involved in the takeover of Murdoch and McLeay’s import and exporting company in the early 30’s.
Max was educated at the local Unley Central Schools then at Unley High. He then later worked as a junior salesman, also serving as a Senior Cadet in the Militia as 304884 from March ’37.
With the outbreak of WWII, Max was keen to enlist and serve, so ‘adjusted’ his date of birth, suggesting he was born a year earlier in 1919 and therefore aged 21 rather than 20. He enlisted on the 29th June 1940 and was allocated the number SX7137 in the newly formed 2/48th Battalion, B Company. Following pre-embarkation leave, Max left on the Stratheden on the 7th November and arrived in the Middle East on the 17th December.
Late in March ’41, Max embarked from Alexandra to serve in Greece with the 1st Australian Corps at Gaza. However, by the 3rd June ’41, Max’s family were sent a telegram with the news that he was missing, with this being shared in the Advertiser and News, the latter carrying a photo of Max. The report read that ‘Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Reed, of Palmerston road. North Unley, have been notified that their only son. Max C. Reed, is missing Pte. Reed enlisted in June. 1940, and sailed with a headquarters unit in November. He was educated at Unley Central and High Schools.’
His Prisoner of War status was confirmed three weeks later by the Red Cross and again this update was placed in the Advertiser. By the 12th December the family knew that Max was interred in Stalag XVIIIA with his Prisoner of War number being 3592. Whilst there, prisoners were divided into two work groups, agriculture or forestry and trade and industry.
Max was innovative, successfully escaping from the Camp, surviving for seven months. Records are scant but Max was reported as supporting the Greek resistance until he was again captured. At that point, he quickly invented a new identity (and the role of a Canadian Airforce Pilot) named ‘Jack Hopin’. He also confidently gave a date of birth that was particularly important to him – that of his fiancée Edna Hale who was born on the 16th December ’22. He was again imprisoned under his new alias.
Just two days prior to his return, a very welcome list appearing in the July ’45 issue of the Chronicle that Max was ‘Reported Repatriated’. In the same list were others from the 2/48th Battalion including Tom Brown of Glenburnie Reginald Absalom SX11667 of Quorn, Clifford Fowler SX8914 from Streaky Bay, Max Reed SX7137 of West Croydon and Stephen Rogers SX6693 from Broken Hill. By May ’45 Max was one of several ex-Prisoners of War who visited South Australia House in London prior to returning to Australia. Max was officially recovered on the 16th June ’45.
Sadly, Max’s father did not live to see Max return safely home to Australia or to see him marry. Aged 72, he died in hospital on the 15th of November ’44 and was buried in the Centennial Park Cemetery. (Dulcie lived for a further 45 years and died on the 23rd April 1990.)
Max was finally on home soil in Sydney on the 7th July and in South Australia on the 9th. The News recorded the emotional welcome the men faced at the Adelaide Railway Station where over 1,000 local people lined the railway station in welcome. ‘Women with tears streaming down their cheeks embraced returning A.I.F. prisoners of war and airmen who had been away four years when they arrived at the Adelaide Railway Station today. In the crowd to meet them were wives, mothers, and sweethearts. The men were hurried off to motor transport waiting to take the airmen to Springbank and the Army personnel to Wayville. Lance-Corporal R. H. Absalom. of Port Augusta and Max were two of the 2/48th A.I.F. captive prisoners of war who returned on the train. Max spent a brief day in hospital on the 30th.
Just a week after returning, Max fulfilled the dream that had helped him survive the war – he married Edna Hale in July. The 21st July issue of the Advertiser carried the announcement ‘REED—HALE.—On July 16, at Scots Church, Flinders St.. Edna E. youngest daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. H. Hale, of Black Forest, to Pte. Max C only son of Mrs. and the late Mr. C. C Reed, of North Unley.’ The first of their three children, Helen Edna arrive in June the following year. She was later followed by the arrival of Susan and Ron.
Max and Edna moved to Port Elliot where they were generous supporters of the local Surf Life Saving Club in relation to the local crew attending international titles being held in Perth in ’79.
With Max’s home address at Palmerston Road North Unley changing, when his war medals were posted in January ‘49, Max did not receive his. Finally, aged 66 he officially applied for these, also querying if there was sufficient documentation for him to also be granted the Greek Medal for his work whist an escaped POW. He was belatedly awarded the 1939/45 Star, War Medal and Australian Service Medal at his home in Port Elliot prior to Christmas, ’86, less that a year before his death.
After the war, soldiers who had served were given generous access to cigarettes, continuing the practice from their army days. Aged 67, Max died of lung cancer on the 7th October 1987 with his remains cremated at Centennial Park Cemetery.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.