Ivan James Baird (1918 - 1942)

Born 12 May 1918 in Taihape, Wellington, New Zealand

Died 1 Jul 1942 at age 24 in At Sea

Biography

Ivan Baird was a Prisoner of War during World War II.

Ivan Baird died as a prisoner of war on the Montevideo Maru during the Second World War.

Ivan James Baird was born on 12 May 1918 in Taihepe, New Zealand, the son of James Baird and Maude Sneath.

He enlisted in the Australian Army for overseas service at Kerang, Victoria on 27 May 1940 as a Private (VX25515). At the time he was single, a labourer and living at Gunbower, Victoria. He had light brown hair and blue eyes. There is another enlistment file with a different VX number and a place of birth in Victoria, so he may have had an earlier enlistment attempt.

Initially allocated to the Infantry he was transferred to the Royal Australian Artillery. He was appointed Acting L/Cpl on 02 August 1940. He was transferred to 17th Anti Tank Battery on 09 August 1941. He reverted to Gunner on 26 September 1941 and disembarked in Rabaul in the Territory of New Guinea from the "Zealandia" on 30 September 1941. After spending Christmas in hospital with malaria he rejoined his unit on 30 December 1941.

When the Japanese invaded New Britain in January 1942 he was captured at Lassul Bay and became a Prisoner of War. He died on board the "Montevideo Maru" when it was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of the Philippines on 01 July 1942 en route from Rabaul to Hainan where he was destined for forced labour.

Sources

• Birth - NZ BDM Birth index - 1918/10743; Baird Ivan James; Louisa Maud; James

• Australian Army Service record - National Archives of Australia - BAIRD IVAN JAMES : Service Number - VX25515 : Date of birth - 12 May 1918 : Place of birth - TAIHAPE NEW ZEALAND : Place of enlistment - CAULFIELD VIC : Next of Kin - BAIRD LAURA - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6215790

• Roll of Honour - https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1707218

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission - https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2615337/ivan-james-baird/

• https://www.nzwargraves.org.nz/casualties/ivan-james-baird

• Virtual War Memorial Australia: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/618767

• The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial (https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/ : accessed 7 Mar 2024) database entry for Ivan James Baird

• Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
  Find A Grave: Memorial #23807717 (accessed 8 March 2024)
  Memorial page for Gunner Ivan James Baird (unknown-1 Jul 1942), citing Rabaul War Cemetery and Memorial, Kokopo, Kokopo District, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea (plot: Panel 2.); Maintained by Shane König von Castlemaine (contributor 49774181).