Walter Hayward

Walter Hayward

Personal Information
Date of Birth	c1881
Place of Birth	Richmond,Yorkshire, England
Death	3 Nov 1964, aged 83
Place of Death	Gosnells, Western Australia
Age at Enlistment	33 years, 4 months
Description	5'5½" (1.66m) tall ; 136lbs 61.689 kg ; fresh complexion ; brown eyes ; brown hair
Occupation	Poultry farmer
Religion	Church of England
Address	Gosnells, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Wife , Mrs Minnie Hayward
Military Information
Reg Number	871
Date of Enlistment	16 Mar 1915
Rank	Lance Corporal
Unit/Formation	28th Battalion, D Company
Date of Embarkation	9 Jun 1915 ‒ 2 Jul 1915
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A11 Ascanius
Date of Return	20 Dec 1918 ‒ 25 Jan 1919
Ship Returned On	RMS Orontes
Fate	WIA 5 Aug 1916 at Poziéres WIA 3 May 1917 2nd Bullecourt WIA 3 Sep 1918 Peronne Returned to Australia
Monument	Gosnells Road Board Honour Roll Gosnells Primary School Honour Roll Gosnells Ward Honour Roll
Medals	1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal

Pre War

Required dental treatment before he was passed fit. Electoral Roll entries: 1915 Stations road, Gosnells, poultry farmer; 1918 Minnie listed with him as married. Ancestry entries indicate an earlier wife (Winifred Hayward) who he married in 1905 in England and divorced in 1913 prior to arriving in WA on 21 Dec 1920.

War Service

Entered Blackboy Hill camp on 16 Mar 1915 and was initially a member of the 13th Depot Company. A month later he was allocated to the 1st reinforcement draft for the 28th Battalion, and on 26 Apr 1915 he was taken on their strength and posted to 'D' Company, travelling with them to Egypt. On 4 Sep 1915 the battalion proceeded to Mudros aboard HMT Ivernia, and on 10 Sep 1915 he transferred to the HMS Sarnia for the journey from Mudros harbour to Anzac Cove. Following a relatively quiet time on the peninsular they returned to Alexandria on 10 Jan 1916 from Mudros aboard HMT Ausonia.

Following the reorganisation of the AIF in Egypt the 28th Battalion sailed from Alexandria for Marseilles in France late on 16 Mar 1916 aboard HMAT A32 Themistocles, arriving in Marseilles mid afternoon on 21 Mar 1916. On 28 Jul 1916 the 28th Battalion were involved in an unsuccessful attack on German positions near the windmill (Pozieres), suffering very heavy casualties. Walter was one of the few that survived this action, but on 5 Aug 1916 in a subsequent attack on OG1 and OG2 trenches near the windmill, Walter was wounded in his right arm. Treated first by the 2nd Field Ambulance, he was sent back to the 44th Casualty Clearing Station the same day before being placed on an Ambulance Train for the 3rd Stationary Hospital in Rouen where he was admitted on 6 Aug 1916. The next day he was evacuated from Rouen to England aboard HMHS St Patrick, and admitted to the 3rd London General Hospital on 8 Aug 1916. He remained in the hospital until he was released to the depot at Perham Downs on 24 Oct 1916.

Granted furlough on 27 Oct 1916, he was charged with being AWOL from 3:00pm on 10 Nov until 3:45 pm on 14 Nov 1916, so he had extended his leave but then paid for it with 7 days extra duty and the loss of 5 day's pay. After a period of recovery, Walter was sent to France again on 14 Dec 1916 through Folkestone where he boarded SS Princess Henriette. After six days in the Division's base depot, he rejoined the 28th Battalion on 21 Dec 1916. On 10 Feb 1917 he was appointed Lance Corporal, and from 29 Mar to 25 Apr 1917 he acted as Corporal in the absence of his normal section head.

Promoted Temporary Corporal on 3 May 1917 Walter was wounded a second time on 3 May 1917 at the battle known as 2nd Bullecourt with shrapnel wounds to his legs, arm, head and chest. The 28th Battalion was in support, but was caught by the enemy counter bombardment using shrapnel and gas. Walter received multiple shrapnel wounds and was first treated by the 6th Field Ambulance who then sent him to the 3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station where he was held overnight before being placed on an Ambulance Train for the 24th General Hospital in Étaples where he was treated from 7 - 17 May 1917. Evacuated to England aboard HS Pieter de Coninck on 18 May 1917 where he was admitted to the Clandon Park Hospital in Guildford for treatment to shrapnel wounds to his legs, arm, head, and chest. Discharged to duty on 17 Aug 1917 he was sent to the No 2 Command Depot in Weymouth to recover his strength before being moved to Longbridge Deverill on 12 Sep 1917 for overseas training at the Sandhill camp.

On 15 Nov 1917 he proceeded to France for a third time, this time through Southampton. On 22 Nov 1917 he had rejoined the 28th Battalion. From 10 - 18 Feb 1918 he enjoyed leave in Paris, and otherwise remained out of trouble during the Australian advance up the Somme valley from 8 Aug 1918 until 3 Sep 1918. On 2 Sep 1918 the 7th Brigade, including the 28th Battalion had secured the land east of Mount St Quentin, and the German troops were in disarray with many fleeing ahead of the Australians for the village of Aizecourt-le-Haut. Early in the morning of 3 Sep 1918 a small group of soldiers from the 28th Battalion were detached to clean out a series of German posts still active in the Antigone Trench. It is probable that during this attack, Walter was wounded for a third time, with a gunshot wound to the head. Treated by the 5th Field Ambulance the same day, he was transferred to the 5th Casualty Clearing Station the next day before being placed aboard an Ambulance Train on 5 Sep 1918 for Rouen where he was admitted to the 5th General Hospital on 7 Sep 1918. Evacuated to England the same day, he was admitted to the Reading War Hospital on 8 Sep 1918.

On 4 Nov 1918 he was released to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford and then granted furlough from 6 - 20 Nov 1918. A month after his return to duty he was on his way to Australia as a medical case - concussion aboard [RMS Orontes]] which disembarked him in Fremantle on 25 Jan 1919. Walter was discharged by the 5th Military District on 1 Apr 1919.

Post War

While on enlistment Walter gives his wife Minnie (nee Booth) as his NOK, their marriage isn't registered until 1919. Minnie died in Gosnells on 28 Dec 1933, aged 52.

Electoral Roll entries: 1925 - 1958 Station road, Gosnells, poultry farmer; 1936 son George with him.

HAYWARD. — On December 28, Minnie, beloved wife of Walter Hayward, Gosnells, fond mother of Norman, Jack, Verna, Nellie, Buby, Connie, George, Reda, Colin, Jim, stepmother of Peter, Margaret, grandmother of Stephen.
HAYWARD.— On December 28, at Perth, Minnie Hayward. of Gosnells, beloved mother of Jack Booth and ma of Carrie (Maylands).