Reginald Arthur Playford

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T he second son of Albert and Annie Playford, of Park View, Docking, and brother of Cecil Albert Playford, he was born on 4th March 1918. As a young man he worked for T.R. Wagg in the bakery at Docking. When the war began he was called up and by 1943 he was serving in India with 9th Battalion, The York and Lancaster Regiment (Private 4750021), which was part of 53 Indian Infantry Brigade. By October of that year the Battalion was training in preparation for operations against the Japanese. In the early hours of the morning of 10th October 1943, after a period of heavy and sustained rain, Reginald Arthur Playford, who was a driver in the Carrier Platoon, was on foot patrol in the vicinity of the Battalion's encampment. A sudden surge of floods and rising water swept through the camp and carried him with it; although he was a swimmer and strenuous efforts were made to rescue him, he drowned and disappeared. His body was found next day and he was buried at St Thomas' Mount, Madras, after a service attended by his mourning comrades. He was 25 years old. After the war, Madras War Cemetery was established, one mile from St Thomas' Mount and 5 miles from the airport, and he was reburied there (1V.B.17) along with 860 others. Madras is now called Chennai. Return to World War Two Roll of Honour