James Reginald Arthur (1911 - 1942)

Born 25 May 1911 in Richmond, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Died 1 Jul 1942 at age 31 in At Sea

Biography

Reg Arthur was a Prisoner of War during World War II.

Reg Arthur died as a prisoner of war on the Montevideo Maru during the Second World War.

James Reginald Arthur was born at Richmond, Victoria on 25 May 1911, the son of James Henry Arthur and Alice Rosie Elizabeth Guest. He was known as Reg.

He enlisted in the Australian Army for overseas service at Caulfield, VIC on 27 Jun 1940 as a Private (VX42088). At the time he was single, a grocer and was living with his sister, Mavis Rose Arthur at Coburg, VIC. He had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He had a gunshot wound scar above his right knee. He gave his sister as next of kin.

Although initially identified for 8th Div Australian Army Supply Column he was transferred to 2/14th Training Bn at Wangaratta, VIC on 30 Sep 1940, then to 2/21st Training Bn and then to 6th Training Bn.

On 19 Mar 1941 he was posted to 2/22nd Bn at Bonegilla, VIC.

He entrained from Victoria for Sydney on 10 Apr 1941, embarking there on 12 Apr 1941 for Rabaul, New Britain in the Territory of New Guinea and disembarking there on 26 Apr 1941. His Battalion was to form the core of "Lark Force" for the defence of the Territory.

He was suffering from hysteria and his old leg wound in early Jan 1942.

After the Japanese invasion of 23 Jan 1942 he was captured at New Massawa and became a Prisoner of War initially held at Rabaul. Japanese records have him as a member of the machine gun Coy.

He was among those who were able to write a carefully scripted letter to next of kin advising that he was a POW. The letters were dropped from a Japanese plane over Port Moresby, Papua.^[1]

He died on board the "Montevideo Maru" when it was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of the Philippines on 01 Jul 1942, en route from Rabaul to Hainan where he was destined for forced labour.

Sources

1. ↑ Red Cross POW Enquiry cards - https://gallery.its.unimelb.edu.au/imu/imu.php?request=multimedia&irn=25720

• Birth - Victoria BDM Birth index - Event: births; Registration number: 23215 / 1911; Family name: ARTHUR; Given name(s): Jas Regd; Place of event: RICHMOND, VIC, Australia; Personal detail Mother's name: Alice Rosie Elizth; Mother's family name at birth: GUEST; Father's Name: Jas Hy

• WW2 Australian Army Service File - National Archives of Australia - ARTHUR JAMES REGINALD : Service Number - VX42088 : Date of birth - 25 May 1911 : Place of birth - RICHMOND VIC : Place of enlistment - CAULFIELD VIC : Next of Kin - ARTHUR MAVIS - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6132072

• Deaths On Active Service - Advertising (1945, October 17). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 7. Retrieved June 6, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205642826

• Roll of Honour - Australian War Memorial - https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1711421

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission - https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2615326/arthur,-james-reginald/

See also:

• Virtual War Memorial Australia: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/618453
• The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial (https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/ : accessed 7 Mar 2024) database entry for James Reginald Arthur