Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Vincent Read was born sixth September 1920. He was a well-loved son of Maybell E Reid and Heetley Victor Reid. His father died before the war so his mother had to approve of his enlistment as he was under age. His older brothers and sisters tried to convince him not to enlist – he was the darling of the family. His brothers Wallace and Victor also enlisted.

At 19 years of age Vincent READ decided to enlist in the army and he did that at the Showground in Moore Park, Sydney on the 12th July 1940.

 He was assigned to the 8th Division. Eventually placed in the 2/15 th Field regiment – signals ( linesman), based at Holdsworthy NSW .

Hi mother, Maybell Elizabeth Reid fiercely resisted the enlistment. She eventually gave in to her young son. She regretted that decision until she died after WW2.

The enlistment photo shows Vincent, most likely excited to go and fight for King and Country. He looks so young and full of confidence.

The later photo shows a much more sophisticated young man, suave by some standards, fashionable with his cardigan and moustache. The confidence brims from him as he stood with his mum outside the front of their Canley Vale home. It must have been sometime in late 1941/early 1942 and he was probably home on leave. Everyone adored Vincent – especially the ladies, according to his brothers.

The best photo is of Vincent with his sisters most likely at the same time as the photo with his mum. On his right is Grace Reid and on his left Joyce Reid. I think this photo beams - probably the favourite family photo. It really shows what the population had to lose, idyllic family life, and no one had any idea of the terrible times to come.

While in training Vincent seems to have had occasional difficulty with following orders. He had a reputation for trying to charm people into getting the result he wanted. This may not have worked now he was in the army.

Records show his regiment had leave from the 20th December 1940 and he probably could’ nt tear himself away on the 27th of December. A note was made on his file that he was AWL from 28th Dec to 29 Dec 1940.

 His punishment was seven days confinement to barracks. He most likely visited home and maybe a girlfriend or two and made it back on the afternoon of the 29th Dec.

It is said that Vincent crashed his motor bike on one home visit after enlistment in 1940. He injured his leg badly and seemed to have a number of hospital notations in regard to his injured leg. Even so he appears not to have been discharged from service before departure.

On 29 July 1941 the regiment left Sydney, on board the troop ship Katoomba, for overseas service. The Katoomba was part of a convey taking the 27th Brigade to Malaya. The vessel arrived in Singapore (then part of Malaya) on 15 August.

His injuries reoccured and one record in 1941 is that on 17th Dec 1941 at Kluang Lae in Malaya he was admitted with an injured knee to the AIF hospital. Still, he was'nt medically discharged from Service in the AIF.

After the fall of Singapore, Vincent Read was transferred from Changi to Thailand most likely to work on the Thai- Burma railway during 1943. Life must have been hell.

Nothing is known about this period for Vincent except that somehow he survived and was taken back to Singapore mid-1944 and ended up on the Rakuyō Maru (with 1,318 Australian and British prisoners of war aboard) that was part of a convoy carrying mostly raw materials that left Singapore for Japan on 6 September 1944.

The prisoners were all survivors of the Burma-Thailand Railway who had only recently returned to Singapore.

The ship was sunk by the American ship, the USS Sealion II  on the 12 September 1944. His life was lost during that incident along with 1,317 Australian and British prisoners of war. ( AWM archives)

His family was devastated and did not ever get over either his passing or the manner in which it happened.

Based on the memories of R R L Reid and D. Reid ( his brothers), original and family documents