Lt Stanley James Kidd

Surname
Kidd
First name(s)
Stanley James
Rank
Lt
Corps
RNZIR
Service number
838605
Unit
Date of Birth
Date of death
Place of burial
Papakura, Auckland
Notes

Killed in action, 17 April 1970 – gunshot wound to body in contact.

Born in Auckland, Stan was the only son in a family of seven children. Moving to Rotorua and then Christchurch, he worked as an entertainer before joining the Regular Force from the Territorial Force in 1967. Posted to Terendak, Malaysia, he arrived in Vietnam as a replacement Platoon Commander with V4 Company in November 1969. On 17 April 1970 Stan's platoon were leading a company advance during Operation Townsville – V4's final operation – when they contacted the enemy and he was killed in action. His name appears on the Rotorua Boys' High School Memorial.

Disclaimer

The Vietnam List is an updated version of New Zealand's original Vietnam nominal roll – the Flinkenberg List – compiled by Captain Con Flinkenberg in 1972. Name, rank and unit information are from New Zealand military pay records. Read more about the Vietnam List.

Comments

Submitted by admin on Tuesday, 23 August 2016 - 9:29am

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From Andy Lea: Stan was not only an entertainer when in Christchurch. He was employed during the working week as a boiler maker and coppersmith making hot water cylinders and other items at Perkins Limited based in Montreal Street. He often sung and played guitar at the American Deep Freeze Base at Harewood Airport. Later his band played on Friday & Saturday nights at The Hanmer Lodge. He covered a lot of 30, 40, 50s songs. Excellent singer of Elvis Presley music. Looked a bit like him as well. Self taught on guitar. How do I know this stuff. He boarded with my parents in Crohane Place, Christchurch and stayed in the same bedroom with my brother and me. A real gentleman. Cried when he left and again when I saw his name on the Auckland War Memorial wall 40 years later.