Duncan, Reginald Horace

Reginald Horace Duncan was born in South Melbourne Victoria in 1894 to John & Minnie Duncan. He was one of nine children in the family, and they moved across to Western Australia while Reginald was still young and took up residence in Sea View Street South Fremantle. Reg attended Beaconsfield State School and became a member of the boy Scouts. He also spent five years as a member of the 11^th Garrison Artillery based in Fremantle. Reginald worked as a Storeman during this time.

On the 22^nd June 1917 Reginald went to the Perth Drill Hall to enlist into the AIF. He was passed as fit with the medical officer finding him to be 5 feet 5 inches tall; weight of 128 lbs; chest measurement of 33-35 inches; fair complexion; blue eyes and brown hair. His religious denomination was Wesleyan.

After spending three weeks in D3 Depot, on the 16^th July 1917 Reg was assigned to the 11^th Reinforcements to the 51^st Battalion AIF. He trained with them in WA and they seem to have gone across to Melbourne as they departed from that port on the 30^th October 1917 aboard the H.M.A.T. “AENEAS”. Their ship arrived in Devonport England on the 27^th December 1917. After they disembarked Reg and his group were marched into the 13^th Training Battalion at Codford Camp on the Salisbury Plains.

After reaching Codford camp; Reg was admitted to hospital on the 31^st December 1917 with dysentery. On the 4^th January he was transferred to St. Mary’s Hospital where he was diagnosed with a Carcinoma of the Rectum which was found to be inoperable. On the 3^rd March 1918 he was transferred to the 1^st Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield. It was decided to send Reg back to Australia to spend his last months with his family and so on the 16^th March 1918 he was put aboard the Hospital Ship “Wandilla”. Reg arrived back in Australia in June 1918 and was immediately sent to hospital.

Reg was admitted to No.10 Auxiliary Hospital in Mounts Bay Road in Perth where he hung on to life for further two months. Private Reginald Frank Horace Duncan died aged 24 on the 19^th August 1918, the official cause being Carcinoma of the Rectum and Exhaustion. He was buried in Fremantle Cemetery.

His brother Theodore served in the Royal Australian Navy during the war. Reg’s cousin, Hugh Marshall of the 44^th Battalion died in England during the war.

 His brother John Duncan served in the 44th Battalion and survived the war