Reggie was the youngest of seven sons born to Amaro John and Maria Rita Reed. Pre-war he was an accountant at Deacon's law firm. He survived the battle of Hong Kong but was captured on December 25, 1941. He was transferred to the Shamshuipo Camp on January 7, 1942 and liberated on September 2, 1945. His eldest brother Robert Cyril (Bobby) was also a POW at Shamshuipo Camp.
Reggie was one of the men chosen to represent the Hong Kong Volunteers at Britain's "Great Victory Parade" on June 8, 1946, and left Hong Kong for England. He settled in England and married, but ended up moving to Rhyl, Wales, where he met his second wife Gladys. They wed in 1957 and had one son, Stephen. Stephen had a son, Carl, who in turn produced a son called Jacob Matthew, and they will carry on the family name. Reggie passed away on February 14, 1980 in Rhyl.
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Reginald John Reed
First Name: Reginald John
First Name: Reginald John
Surname: Reed
DOB: 23/10/1914
Nationality: Hong Kong/Portuguese
Date of Capture: 25/12/1941
Rank: Private
POW Camp: Shamshuipo
Service Number: 3556
Duty Location: Hong Kong
Next Of Kin: Mother: Maria R Reed, Hong Kong Club, Lusitano
Service: British Army
Primary Unit: Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps
Archive Reference: Ron Bridge's Collection
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First Name: Reginald John
Surname: Reed
Nationality: Portuguese
Date of Capture: 25/12/1941
Date of Liberation: 02/09/1945
Rank: Private
POW Camp: Hong Kong
Service Number: 3556
Service: British Army
Archive Reference: WO392/26 and WO361/1974
He would have been eligible for the War Medal 1939-1945 and the 1939-45 Star
Japanese Index Card of Allied POWs: The National Archives; Kew, London, England; WO 345 Japanese Index Cards of Allied POWs 1942-1947; Reference Number: WO 345/43
Reggie Reed
David, I missed seeing this post yesterday and appreciate the information given on the card. I'm glad to get confirmation regarding Reggie's capture and release dates from Shamshuipo Camp. Reggie was liberated on September 2, 1945 which makes more sense that his being released in January 1946. Would the National Archives also have the pertinent information on Robert C. Reed (Bobby) who was at the same camp? It would be good to confirm when Bobby was released as well, not in December 1945 as mentioned before. Thanks for your help in finding this information.
Reggie Reed
Angie, Yes, the National Archives has Robert's release date -- Sept 2 1945 as well.
I was checking my notes on PoWs today and recalled noticing some inconsistencies when I did the research some months ago. The PoW list in the National Archives and elsewhere did not mention sending Reggie to Japan, but the Sendai photo, which was also reproduced in a 2007 book of the HK Portuguese community, had the names of all the PoWs therein, including "Reggie Reed". The photo should reflect the collective memory of the then surviving ex-PoWs. Will need to research further to resolve this puzzle.
Angie,
Angie,
Can you email me via David? Would like to seek your advice on certain matters regarding my current research, part of which is related to the Reed family during WWII. Many thanks.
A Choi
Reggie Reed Posts
I just emailed you!
Robert Reed's Release Date
Thanks for following up on the information on Robert's release date. Interesting that there were several Reeds included! Regarding the Sendai photo reproduced for a book, I believe I know what book you are referring to. The author put out three volumes on the HK Portuguese community and one book on the Shanghai Portuguese community. From what I saw of the photo, that person identified as Reggie did not look like Reggie to me. Since at that time it seemed likely that Reggie was indeed at that camp I took a closer look at everyone in the photo and thought the man next to this other person resembled Reggie more. I could be wrong of course but that was my reaction to the photo. It could also be possble that Reggie was wrongly identified for the book. I'll be curious to know what your continued research will reveal on this matter.