WARD, Reginald
| Service Number: | NX47747 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 September 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Kinchela, New South Wales, Australia, 25 September 1919 |
| Home Town: | Kinchela Creek, Kempsey, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Injuries, New Guinea, 17 September 1943, aged 23 years |
| Cemetery: |
Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea CWGC Grave No: Section C. Plot 1. Row D. Grave 7. Inscription: "IN THE SACRED CAUSE OF JUSTICE AND FOR THE FREEDOM OF THE WORLD". |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, South West Rocks War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Lance Corporal, NX47747 | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Sep 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lance Corporal, NX47747, 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Reginald Ward's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Graham Prior
Reg died from frightful injuries (Burns) he sustained when an American Liberator Bomber crashed on take off ten days earlier.
Reginald Ward St, Kempsey is named for him
STREETS OF HONOUR - The Macleay Valley's Tribute to its silent heroes.
Biography contributed by Stephen Bonald
On Tuesday, September 7th, 1943, at Jackson Field in Port Moresby, New Guinea, a B-24D Liberator bomber (The Pride of the Cornhuskers) from the 403rd Bomber Squadron, 43rd Bombing Group USAAF, crashed during take-off, likely due to pilot disorientation in the dark. The aircraft hit trees and slammed into a convoy of trucks carrying over 130 soldiers from D Company, 2/33 Infantry Battalion of the Australian Army, who were waiting to board C-47 transport planes to move to the front lines. The bomber’s 500-pound bombs and 2,800 gallons of fuel exploded, killing 15 Australian soldiers instantly and severely injuring 47 more, who later died. Another 90 soldiers were wounded but survived, all 11 crew members aboard the bomber (The Pride of the Cornhuskers) were killed. Lance Corporal Reginald Ward – NX47747, was one of the 47 Australian Military personnel severely burned, succumbing to his injuries on the 17th of September 1943 at the 2nd / 9th Australian General Hospital, Port Moresby.
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