Reginald Peter Lewis

Reginald Peter Lewis

Courtesy Joy Dalgleish
Ancestry Haynes Family Tree
Personal Information
Date of Birth	not known "not known" contains an extrinsic dash or other characters that are invalid for a date interpretation.
Place of Birth	Jarrahdale, Western Australia
Death	29 Aug 1918
Place of Death	Flaucourt, France
Age at Enlistment	28 years old
Occupation	Mill hand
Religion	Methodist
Address	Jarrahdale, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Wife , Mrs Grace Myrtle Lewis
Military Information
Reg Number	5038
Date of Enlistment	20 Mar 1916
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	28th Battalion, 13th Reinforcement / 7th Brigade, 2nd Division
Date of Embarkation	18 Jul 1916 ‒ 9 Sep 1916
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A48 Seang Bee
Fate	Killed in Action 29 Aug 1918
Monument	Jarrahdale War Memorial Jarrahdale Honour Roll ANZAC Memorial Park (Byford) Australian War Memorial
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

Pre War

Reg was born in Jarrahdale, Western Australia in February 1888 to Joseph and Marry Ann Lewis. He was the elder brother of Herbert and Arthur Lewis and had other siblings, including a sister Daphne. They all attended Jarrahdale School. Reginald as a young lad began work at the local timber mill and learnt saw filing, a skill that went on to be a family tradition for four later generations. Reg also had training as an engine driver. He played football for the local number 5 team against his brothers who were in the number 6 side. Reg married Grace Myrtle Mildern in 1913 and they lived at Newtown Mill with two children. Grace moved to Anstey street, Mundijong after Reginald went overseas.

War Service

Following some basic training in Australia, Reg embarked on the HMAT A48 Seang Bee on 19 Jul 1916 for Plymouth in England where he disembarked on 9 Sep 1916. On arrival Reg was sent to the 7th Training Battalion at Rollestone camp. On 2 Nov 1916 he proceeded overseas to France on the SS Princess Henriette.

However, before he could join the battalion, on 14 Nov 1916 he was hospitalised in the 26th General Hospital in Étaples before being evacuated to England on HS Stad Antwerpen from Calais on 21 Nov 1916. On arrival in England he was admitted to the Norfolk War Hospital before transferring to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield on 27 Nov 1916. On 8 Jan 1917 he was discharged from the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital to No 2. Command Depot in Weymouth, where he spent 6 weeks recovering strength before being transferred to Perham Downs on 17 Feb 1917 and then on 25 Mar 1917 to the 70th Battalion which was then forming up. (Due to heavy losses in France the battalion was disbanded and men sent to other units to bring them up to strength).

On 2 Apr 1917 he was charged with having been Out of Bounds, and Neglecting to obey orders for which he was awarded 2 days Field Punishment No 2. and forfeited 10/- ($1). On 19 Sep 1917 he was transferred to the 69th Training Battalion, and then on 14 Oct 1917 he proceeded overseas for a second time, this time via Southampton.

Jack finally joined the 28th Battalion in the field on 20 Oct 1917 at Watou on the Belgium side of the border west of Poperinge where they were in billets.

Reg was killed during an attack by the 28th Battalion designed to capture the west bank of the Somme River opposite Péronne They captured Flaurcourt without opposition, but ran into heavy machine gun fire as they approached Biaches Wood and the high ground beside the river. Casualties were described by the battalion's War Diary to be "exceedingly light", in what it described to be a "very brilliant action".

Buried a the time of the battle, Reginald's grave could not initially be located, but it was later found and he was exhumed and reburied in Péronne Communal Cemetery Extension, France (Plot I Row C, Grave No 33). Reg was the third brother to die during the war, with one other returning to Australia. While there is a Red Cross file for Reg at the Australian War Memorial, it contributes nothing further to our knowledge about his death.

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  Péronne Communal Cemetery Extension
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  Kings Park Memorial walk, May drive
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  Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Notes

[1] DAH is 'Disordered Action of the Heart' otherwise known as 'Soldier's Heart' or 'Effort Syndrome' and was thought to result from a combination of over exertion, mental stress and fatigue.

External Links

• AIF Project
• RSL Virtual War Memorial