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[Philip L]

Some information from a ABC news article when Reg was 100 years (Reg is now 103 years old and he resides in Gawler, a town near Adelaide, South Australia).

In his 100th year, Reg Swanborough will take to the streets of Adelaide today for the Anzac Day march.

Mr Swanborough will be walking alone as one of the last remaining World War II veterans and the last member of the Arctic Convoy Veterans Association.

He joined the British Royal Navy on July 26, 1938, alongside 32 others.

"And, to the best of my knowledge, myself and two others came out alive from that lot," he said.

He was just 15 years old when he enlisted at the end of the Great Depression, at a time when there was little work or food.


Reg who is now 103 years of age had a talk to Spence Denny on ABC Adelaide Radio on Monday evening, August 11th, 2025 (Adelaide South Australia time) at around 9.10Pm to 9.30pm. It was about Reg going to a Victory in the Pacific event. But there was also some very interesting talk about WW2 memories, including HMS Manchester, and being attacked by German and Italian aircraft. This episode with Spence Denny can be played back at present but  it may not be on the first page for long. But there is a facility to go back to play old episodes of the show. It is a 2 hour and 45 minute show. But this talk was in about the last 20 or 15 minutes or so of the show. There is a link below. Or Google ABC Adelaid Radio. And then Programs. And then Spence Denny. There is a contact email address on the Website. It may be possible to ask for a transcript of the conversation if it is for Education purposes.

Philip L


https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/adelaide-evenings

[Philip L]

I asked the ABC if they can provide a transcript of the Reg talk with Spence on ABC Adelaide Radio. They replied that unfortunately, we no longer have the resources to provide transcripts however the radio program is still available to listen to online. They gave me a link to that episode on Monday, August 11th, 2025. It should be a direct link to that episode if all works well. The talk starts at about the 2 hours, 25 minute and 30 second mark. The whole episode is about 2 hours and 45 minutes long.

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/adelaide-evenings/evenings/105626762

Reg told Spence that he was on the Cruiser Manchester in WW2 when it was attacked by masses of Italian torpedo bombers and German Stuka dive bombers.

This is how the Advertiser (Adelaide, South Australia) reported the events that Reg was talking about. Advertiser, 15th August 1942. Convoy at Malta.

APA citation
CONVOY AT MALTA (1942, August 15). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), p. 1. Retrieved September 2, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48878802

Philip L

[Philip L]

It seems the online Radio play back of the Reg talk with Spence, in regard to HMS Manchester has expired now. As it is showing, sorry, this audio is not yet available or has expired.

Reg Swanborough has written a book called A life Well Lived. On page 101 (Inside Chapter 23, Operation Pedestal Continued) HMS Manchester is mentioned.

The book can be found fast on Australian search engines such as Google. I would think the same would apply in the UK. I put in Reg Swanborough Gawler SA Australia and a long list of items about Reg comes up. The book is inside the Gawler History (library) listing with the name Reg Swanborough that should be near the top of the page of listings.

Or this link may work.

https://gawlerhistory.com/index.php?title=Swanborough_Reg&mobileaction=toggle_view_mobile

A very interesting book which covers some important naval history and battles during WW2 and naval life. A lot of effort and research must have gone into this book.


Philip L