Date of Birth: 25 February 1901
Place of Birth: Randwick, NSW
Place of Enlistment: Paddington, NSW
Date of Enlistment (AIF): 24 June 1940
Home Town: Rose Bay, NSW
Next of Kin: Ivy Agnes Barlow (Wife)
Parents: Thomas Hughes Barlow & Adelaide May Barlow
Occupation: Garage Proprietor
Place of Death: Killed in action, at sea, aboard AHS Centaur
Date of Death: 14 May 1943
Aged: 42
STORY:
Roll of Honour notice posted in The Sydney Morning Herald 27th May 1943, by Thomas’ parents. He was an only son.
Roll of Honour notice posted in The Sydney Morning Herald 29th May 1943, by Thomas’ wife, Ivy Barlow.
Thomas attended St.Aloysius’ College, North Sydney and was in the Senior Cadet Corp. Here is an exerpt from ‘Men for Others’ St Aloysius College Honour Roll by Geri Nicholas, with permission.
Digby was born on 24 February 1901 in Randwick, Sydney, the only son of three children of Thomas Hughes Barlow Dernford, Lytton St North Sydney and Adelaide May Barlow (nee Brewer) of 164 Bellevue Rd Edgecliff. Digby Barlow (SAC 1911-1919) was a member of a loyal Aloysian family whose College connections span more than a hundred years. Not just in the length of time but also in depth with a seemingly endless list of uncles, cousins, brothers and sons in attendance. Jack Barlow, a cousin was killed in action in WWI and another cousin, Peter Brewer, was killed in WWII.
Digby was totally involved in College life during and after school. 
His name appears in dramatic productions, Cadet Corps, athletics, tennis, swimming teams, rugby, and as an editor of the SAC Monthly, the school magazine written by the boys themselves. In his final year, he became a Prefect.
After leaving school, Digby enrolled in medicine at the University of Sydney. He made the decision to assist with the College Cadet Corps rather than join the Sydney University Regiment. Part way through his course Digby decided on a total change of career. He travelled to New Zealand and became involved in butter production. In the mid-1920s he married, and in 1929, returned with his bride, Ivy, to Sydney where he tried the insurance business for a short time before returning to farming.
Digby’s interest in the military began with the College Cadet Unit. He was disappointed at being too young for WWI but quickly enlisted when WWII broke out. At the time of his enlistment his employment was given as garage proprietor. With his earlier interest in medicine he was attached to 2/12th Field Ambulance. He would have served with that unit through all their vicissitudes including the bombing of Darwin, before returning with them to Reidtown in the Illawarra. There they waited while the Centaur was converted to a hospital ship to take them to Cairns for tropical training before deployment to New Guinea. His first overseas posting was to be fatal on board the hospital ship Centaur.
S/S Digby Barlow 2/12th FA is remembered on the AWM Honour Roll, Canberra, Point Danger Centaur Memorial, Coolangatta, Qld,
Heidelberg Hospital Centaur Wing, Melbourne, Sydney Memorial to the Missing.
The Centaur Association does not have any relatives of S/S Digby Barlow amongst our members. If you know any of his family or friends who can add to our knowledge we would be extremely grateful to hear from you. Our mandate is to remember and honour all who served on Centaur, as much as we can, and especially those for whom we have no known family.