Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Reg’s parents were Alfred Ernest, and London born Lidia Maude Mary Jeanette. Lidia’s family travelled to Broken Hill where her mother died, eventually resulting in Lidia and her young brother coming under the control of the Destitute Asylum. Lidia had a series of seemingly unsuccessful placements until her 18th birthday, then aged 21, she married Alfred in 1902. Reginald, born on the 9th August, 1914, was their youngest son of seven children with siblings Rita, Arthur Ernest, Ethel Mavis, Freda, Doris Gwendoline and Gwen. The year prior to Reg’s birth, the family’s baby sister, Doris Gwendoline died in May 1913 and was interred in the Woodville Cemetery.
The family lived in Exeter, near Semaphore on the Le Fevre Peninsula, close to the sea where Alfred worked as a waterside worker.
Reg was just eight years old when his eleven-year-old sister Ethel died in April ’23 of meningitis, an infection in the fluid and membrane surrounding the brain. Her devastated family placed a poignant tribute to her in the Adelaide Advertiser ‘POYNTER.-On the 24th April, at Adelaide, Ethel Mavis, dearly beloved daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. E. (Fred) Poynter, of Exeter (meningitis) aged 11 years 9 months She strayed from heaven and God called her back.’ In the ensuing years the family continued to mourn her death. ‘POYNTER.—In fond remembrance of our dear daughter and sister, Ethel, who passed away April 24, 1923. Not dead to us, we love her still, Not lost, but gone before; She lives with us in memory And will forever more. —Inserted by her loving parents, sisters and brothers.’
As a 17-year-old, Reg unwittingly was caught riding his bike home along Military Road at 9:30pm without a light. He was required to appear in the Port Adelaide Police Court where he was fined 5/- with 15/- cost, an interesting contrast to the warnings and penalties now applied.
Reginald married Joan Coustance De Diar on the 17th October ’36 with both being 22 at the time. They married in the St Alban’s Church of England at Largs.
With the outbreak of WWII, Reg enlisted on the 29th June ’40, being allocated the number SX7022 and placed in the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. On the same day, two other friends, Wilfred Wear from Port Adelaide and Gordon Jury also enlisted, becoming SX7156 and SX7200 in the same battalion. These young men then spent their early days not far from home, in the cold of the Pavilions, now part of the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds, before heading to Woodside for their preliminary training.
Following pre-embarkation leave the three and their fellow 2/48th Battalion, boarded the Stratheden for the Middle East on the 7th November 1940 and disembarked on the 17th December. En route, the ship briefly called in to Freemantle in Western Australia. Once in the Middle East, the 2/48th Battalion completed a few months training in Cyrenaica before going to Tobruk at the start of April 1941 where the dust, flies, heat, minimal water supplies and constant bombardment were quite a challenge to these fresh new enlistees. Reg was to become one of the highly regarded Rats of Tobruk. Soon after, in September Reg developed an extremely high temperature (Pyrexia of Unknown Origin) followed by bronchitis and pneumonia which resulted in him being hospitalised for a month, before being able to return to his 2/48th Battalion in November.
The following year in July ’42 the now highly respected 2/48th were sent to El Alamein, in Egypt. In late June, 42 with Rommel crossing into Egypt, the 2/48th were in an offensive to capture Trig 33, which was achieved on the 10th July. In doing so, over 400 Italian prisoners were taken. The battalion then advanced south, capturing the Tel el Eisa station and repelling numerous counter attacks. However, they were eventually forced to withdraw, having suffered over 100 casualties. A severely unwell Reg was being treated in a British hospital for painful tinea on his leg in July ‘42. At a similar time back home his 63-year-old father died in hospital on the 29th July ’42 and was buried in the Cheltenham Cemetery where a heart shaped plaque is also placed in memory of both young daughters, Doris and Ethel ‘beloved daughters, Sadly Missed’.
Also about this time, Reg’s father-in-law Constantine De Diar, a marine foreman, also enlisted on the 7th June ’42 in the 2nd Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps.
Exacerbated by desert conditions, a series of health issues erupted for Reg, including tinea, dermatitis, infected boils and difficulties with his vision (called hypermetropia). He was consequently treated in hospital in the latter half of July. Ironically, this probably prevented Reg being named as one of the 2/48th Battalion’s 215 casualties between the 7th July and 23rd October. Of that number, 64 men were killed and six, died of their wounds. 125 other men were wounded but survived. It was during the bitter fighting at Tel el Eisa on 22 July ’42 that Reg’s friends and fellow enlistees, 26-year-old Private Gordon Jury and 24-year-old Wilfred Wear were both killed in action. It was just over two years since the trio enlisted.
In his book, ‘Tobruk to Tarakan’, John G. Glenn described that ferocious encounter.
‘When the troops were well forward of the start-line they came under terrific fire from shells and mortars from the front and left and suffered heavy casualties. With the slow deliberate movement of perfectly trained soldiers both companies continued the advance in perfect formation, over ground that trembled and erupted with vicious explosions. Through this, sometimes obscured by the smoke and dust, the men moved, and, as they advanced, the fire kept place with them, leaving behind the still shapes of fallen men among the camel bush and sand.

A measure of the fine young soldiers Gordon and Wilfred were, the closeness of those in the 2/48th Battalion and the devastation of the losses incurred in January ’42 is reflected in the tributes from fellow soldiers who survived. Childhood friends who were also serving paid tribute to Gordon included Reg and SX15817 Gordon Black. Others from the close-knit battalion included SX7261 Wally Everett, SX7003 George Hunt, SX7263 Bill (Curly) Foster, SX7257 Corporal Stanley Smith, SX7276 Corporal Stephen Lister and SX8132 Private Cyril Fleet.
In August 1942, Reg and Joan placed a tribute to their fallen friends in the Advertiser. ‘WEAR—JORY. —A tribute to Privates Roy Wear and Gordon Jury, killed In action in Egypt, on July 22. Greater love hath no man.—inserted by Reg (AIF, abroad), and Joan Poynter.’
By November, ’42 Reg was allocated Special Duties. Finally, the 2/48th left the Middle East in February ’43 heading for Australia via Melbourne.
The following year, Reg became a batman in the 9th Australian Division Cavalry Regiment as the 2/48th prepared to face a very different enemy in the tropical conditions of New Guinea. Their training was undertaken in Queensland before Reg left from Cairns and arrived in Milne Bay in August ’43. During the last months of the war Reg served with the 2/23rd Battalion before finally returning to Australia via Brisbane in February ’44. Unfortunately, malaria followed him home as did a severe digestive issue (dyspepsia) resulting in Reg spending time at Kapara Convalescent Home. The horrific conditions of war, including the loss of good mates that Reg had experienced were the cause of his diagnosis of having an ‘anxiety state’, now better recognised and understood as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Reg was finally discharged on the 12th September ’45, returning with the 2/23rd Battalion. Just days later, his father-in-law, Constantine was also discharged.
Reg and Joan welcomed two boys, Kenneth Kym, born at Wolverton in August ‘47 and Roger.
Joan pre-deceased Reg and died in 1980. Aged 77, Reg lived for a further decade and died on the 10th October 1991. He also was buried in Centennial Park Cemetery.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.