Diamond, Reginald McWhinney

4496 Private Reginald WcWhinney Diamond - 11th Battalion AIF

Reginald McWhinney Diamond was born in Fremantle WA on the 11th February 1892 to Arthur and Caroline Diamond. He had two siblings, Arthur born in 1888 and Stanley in 1890.

He was educated in Fremantle and initially grew up in the local area. After leaving school he found employment at Carnamah as a teamster and contractor. He still had family living in Moss Street East Fremantle.

On the 15th October 1915 Reg successfully enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was found to be fit for enlistment with the medical officer recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 8 & 1/4 inches tall;

Weight - 147lbs;

Chest Measurement - 34-37 inches;

Complexion - Fresh;

Eyes - Dark Brown;

Hair - Dark Brown.

After his successful enlistment Reg was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.33 Training Depot. He spent several weeks there being taken through the basics of infantry work. On the 16th December 1915 he was transferred into the 14th Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion AIF.

He had two months of training in WA with this group and in February 1916 they received their orders to embark. They then entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship Miltiades and set sail for Egypt, arriving at Suez on the 10th March 1916.

After being disembarked Reg was set to the 3rd Training Battalion. He embarked with them from Egypt on the 29th March 1916, arriving at Marseilles on the 5th April 1916.

Reg was then entrained for northern France and joined the 1st Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples on the 8th April 1916. He spent the next seven weeks at the base depot camp and then joined the 11th Battalion in the field on the 25th May 1916. The 11th Battalion were then still in the Armentieres sector of Northern France.

In July 1916 they moved to the Somme battlefield where they took part in the capture of Pozieres village on 23rd July 1916. During the capture of the village Reg received a shrapnel wound to the arms, chest and legs. After treatment at the Field Ambulance and Casualty Clearing Station he was sent to hospital in the French town Rouen. He only spent a few days there as on the 31st July Reg was shipped to England.

After his arrival Reg was sent to the 1st Southern General Hospital at Birmingham. He spent over a month here receiving treatment and on the 8th September was transferred to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield.

Reg spent the next two months there recovering. When the doctors seemed him well enough to travel, he was sent from hospital on the 12th November 1916 to the harbour town of Portland where he boarded the transport ship Wiltshire for the journey back to Australia. He arrived back in Fremantle on the 31st December 1916.

Reg was then disembarked and sent to No.8 Australian General Hospital in South Terrace Fremantle for further medical treatment.

Reg was discharged from the AIF on the 5th July 1917.

He spent much of 1917 at the base hospital Fremantle but when he was well enough Reg returned up north to Carnamah where he became a farmer.

In 1927 he got married in Dongara to Lillian (Tottie) Madge Rowland and two children were born, a daughter Rica in 1928 and a son John in 1930.

During World War Two Reg offered his services again and was accepted. He was assigned the service number W71731 and joined the No.1 Battalion Geraldton Volunteer Defence Corps. He only served through 1942 as his farming was considered a reserved occupation.

Reg lived at Carnamah through to the 1950's. In 1963 they moved to South Perth and were living at 189 South Tce Como. They would live here through to the 1970's.

Reg died on the 12th May 1974. He was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery.