Reginald John Beecroft (1920 - 1942)

Born 28 Sep 1920 in Wandsworth, London, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Died 1 Jul 1942 at age 21 in At Sea

Biography

Reginald Beecroft was a Prisoner of War during World War II.

Reginald Beecroft died as a prisoner of war on the Montevideo Maru during the Second World War.

Reginald John Beecroft was born in 1920 at Wandsworth, London, the son of George William and Ada Beecroft.

He enlisted in the Australian Army for overseas service at Royal Park, Melbourne, VIC on 01 Jul 1940 as a Private (VX35550). At the time he was single, an assistant mechanic and was living with his mother in Fairfield, VIC. He had dark hair and brown eyes and had raised his age by 2 years to enlist.

After spending time in various training units in Victoria he was posted to 2/22nd Bn at Bonegilla, VIC on 05 Mar 1941.

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 transferred to hospital with appendicitis on 03 Nov 1941 and had not returned to duty at the time of the Japanese invasion on 23 Jan 1942. It appears he was in a convalescent ward on a plantation owned by Mrs Bignell.^[1]

He was captured in the vicinity of the Warengoi River and became a Prisoner of War initially held at Rabaul. Japanese records have him as a member of the machine gun Coy.

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=27660

• Birth - UK Births - FreeBMD.org.uk - Births Dec 1920; Beecroft Reginald J; Middleton; Wandsworth; 1d 1206

• WW2 Australian Army Service File - National Archives of Australia - BEECROFT REGINALD JOHN : Service Number - VX35550 : Date of birth - 28 Sep 1918 : Place of birth - LONDON ENGLAND : Place of enlistment - ROYAL PARK VIC : Next of Kin - BEECROFT A - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6212764

• Roll of Honour - Australian War Memorial - https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1684312

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission - https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2615364/beecroft,-reginald-john/

• Virtual War Memorial Australia: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/619556

• The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/prisoners-of-war/beecroft-reginald-john/