Horace Ernest HAYES

HAYES, Horace Ernest

Service Number: 138
Enlisted: 19 August 1914, Ballarat, Victoria
Last Rank: Corporal
Last Unit: 8th Infantry Battalion
Born: Grays, Essex, England, 26 April 1893
Home Town: Morrisons, Moorabool, Victoria
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Cook
Died: Killed in Action, Belgium, 20 September 1917, aged 24 years
Cemetery: No known grave - "Known Unto God"
No known grave, Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient), Morrisons Tableland and District State School 2086 Pictorial Honor Roll
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World War 1 Service

19 Aug 1914: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 138, Ballarat, Victoria
19 Oct 1914: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 138, 8th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Benalla embarkation_ship_number: A24 public_note: ''
19 Oct 1914: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 138, 8th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Benalla, Melbourne
27 Apr 1917: Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 8th Infantry Battalion
7 Jul 1917: Promoted Corporal, 8th Infantry Battalion
20 Sep 1917: Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 138, 8th Infantry Battalion, Menin Road, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 138 awm_unit: 8 Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1917-09-20

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Biography contributed by Evan Evans

Horace Brown had a couple of run-ins with authority earlier in his career, but by the time 1917 arrived he had put that behind him to become a valuable NCO in the 8th Infantry Battalion. 

Captain Percy Lay MC, DCM, MM noted in his diary on the 20th September; 

"Our casualties were very light for the day but our company lost most of our officers, Capt Gerald Evans, Lt’s Alexander Fulton [b1883, KIA 20/9/1917], James Wicks [b1891-returned] and Reg Brinsmead [MC, b1893, KIA 17/12/1917], got wounded, leaving only one officer unwounded but Lt Brinsmead would not go away. … we lost a few slashing good NCO’s amoungst the gamest and best was Cpl Horace Hayes [b1893, KIA 20/9/1917] who died like a true Briton..." - This is very high praise from the most decorated man in the 8th Battalion!

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