Military career lost in luggage

AN old suitcase somewhere in Ballarat might just be housing a piece of World War II history.

The luggage is thought to have been left in the city for decades, and with it a logbook detailing the globe-trotting career of Royal Air Force member William Ainsley Reid.

For the past two decades, William’s son Colin Reid has been piecing together his father’s military career, and said the logbook holds the key in connecting the dots to his legacy.

“That was the only thing I had of dad’s when I was a kid. It was only recently that I realised how much information would actually be in there,” said Colin said.

“If I could get my hands on that logbook, it would be wonderful. It would be the final piece of the puzzle in dad’s operation.”

The Reid family migrated from England in 1958, where they settled in Newcastle in New South Wales.

While travelling to Geelong in 1969 to work on the railroads, Colin stayed in Ballarat for two weeks, and lived in Wendouree with a friend.

Using the city “as a base” while he secured his job, he left the suitcase and logbook at the house he was staying in.

“I was so young and silly back then. It didn’t occur to me to write down names and addresses,” Colin said.

His search for the logbook is a recent development in a decades-long collection of photos and records, having recalled its misplacement sometime last year.

Based in Brisbane and currently abroad, he is continuing his search remotely with the help of his brother Mervyn.

Together, they have reached out to various Facebook groups and military organisations for help in piecing together their father’s history.

The Reid’s father died in a car accident when Colin was 14, and the “emotional rollercoaster” of piecing together his war activities has provided a way for him to feel more connected to his dad.

“Being the youngest in my family, I didn’t get to share in a lot of those family stories with him because I wasn’t around yet,” he said.

“And obviously when you’re a kid, your mum and dad are your mum and dad. You don’t really think of either of them as a person.

“Now, here I am all these years later finding out about the who my dad was.”

With every new piece of information pushing him forward, Colin holds a “realistic but forlorn hope” that the logbook might be found and returned to him.

He said that many Ballarat residents have offered their suggestions, and that despite poor health, he will continue to gather information for as long as he’s able to.

Although much of Colin’s recollection of the logbook is unclear, he recalls putting a distinctive touch on it in his youth.

“Dad let me have a look at it once, and while his back was turned, I’m fairly certain I put ink on my thumb and stamped thumbprints on several of the pages,” he said.

“I’m sure I got a smack for that.”