Austin was born in Dundee, baptised as RC, and moved to Edinburgh about 1909. His mother had mental problems so was taken into hospital in 1910 & died of TB in an asylum in Dundee in 1914. Austin’s 2 younger sisters were cared for by nuns & maybe Austin was with them.

About 1916 his father joined the 18th Bn Royal Scots (Wormit Detachment) although the Medal Roll later says HLI. The children were billeted in Arbroath and did well at Arbroath High School. A young lady of the household married their father in 1919 and more siblings followed.

In the 1921 census Austin was an accountant’s clerk, aged 15, in Edinburgh. Apparently less clever young men with money were promoted before him which led to Austin deciding to join the army, enlisting with the Royal Scots in 1922 and serving in Egypt 1926-28, then China then Quetta. He was home on leave in 1938.

Austin was stationed in Hong Kong when the war started. The last letter he wrote home to his family was written on 4 Jan 1940 (but he must have meant 1941). Just before the war he became ORS and was working as never before for a year with little relaxation but in September had a few days away on an island where there was swimming, hiking & good food.

A Japanese PoW record states that he was captured 16/12/25 which in the Shōwa era calendar is Christmas Day 1941.