Raymond Harley Baxter (1918 - 1942)

Born 18 Mar 1918 in Camberwell, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Died 1 Jul 1942 at age 24 in At Sea

Biography

Raymond Baxter was a Prisoner of War during World War II.

Raymond Baxter died as a prisoner of war on the Montevideo Maru during the Second World War.

Raymond was born in 1918 at Upper Hawthorn (Camberwell), VIC., the son of Dr. James Moorehead Baxter and his wife Lilian (nee Tanton).

He had served in the Army Cadets while he was at Camberwell Grammar School from 1932 to 1934. He enlisted in the Australian Army (Militia) as a Private (213394) on 14 Feb 1939 with the Melbourne University Rifles. At the time he was a sales clerk, single and living with his parents at East Hawthorn. He was 5 ft 11 in tall with brown hair and brown eyes. He was discharged on joining the 2nd AIF.

He married Helen Elizabeth Jennings in 1940 in Victoria.^[1]

He enlisted in the Australian Army for overseas service at Caulfield, VIC, on 12 Jun 1940 as a Private (VX25760). He was posted to 2/22nd Bn on 25 Jul 1940. He was promoted to A/Cpl on 29 Aug 1940 but reverted to Pte on 09 Nov 1940. He was appointed A/ Lance Cpl on 10 Feb 1941.

He embarked in Melbourne on 10 Apr 1941 for Rabaul, New Britain in the Territory of New Guinea, disembarking there on 26 Apr 1941.

When the Japanese invaded New Britain on 23 Jan 1942 he was captured at Toma and became a Prisoner of War. Japanese records show him as part of D Coy, 2/22nd Bn. 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. ↑ ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED (1940, June 1). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 9. Retrieved December 28, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12466991

• Birth - Victoria BDM Birth index - Event: births; Registration number: 11944 / 1918; Family name: BAXTER; Given name(s): Raymond Harley; Place of event: HAWTHORN, VIC, Australia; Personal detail Mother's name: Lilian; Mother's family name at birth: TANTON; Father's Jas Moorehead

• Australian Army Militia Service File - National Archives of Australia - Baxter, Raymond Harley; Army Number - 213394; Date of birth - 18 March 1918 - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=9263083

• WW2 Australian Army Service File - National Archives of Australia - BAXTER RAYMOND HARLEY : Service Number - VX25760 : Date of birth - 18 Mar 1918 : Place of birth - CAMBERWELL VIC : Place of enlistment - CAULFIELD VIC : Next of Kin - BAXTER H - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6205339

• Marriage - Victoria BDM Marriage index - Event: marriages; Registration number: 17849 / 1940; Family name: BAXTER; Given name(s): Raymond Harley; Personal detail Spouse's family name: JENNINGS; Spouse's given name(s): Helen Eliz

• Deaths On Active Service - Family Notices (1945, October 18). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 8. Retrieved December 28, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205652028

• Roll of Honour - Australian War Memorial - https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1689043

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission - https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2615358/raymond-harley-baxter/

• Probate Notice - Advertising (1945, November 26). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 16. Retrieved December 28, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12155248

• Virtual War Memorial Australia: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/619380

• The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/prisoners-of-war/baxter-raymond-harley/