SA13351
NAYDA, Hurtle Leslie Charles
| Service Number: | 5123 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Gladstone, South Australia, 5 March 1899 |
| Home Town: | Caltowie, Northern Areas, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Brain Tumour , Adelaide, South Australia, 27 June 1984, aged 85 years |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Caltowie Public School WW1 Roll of Honor, Jamestown Caltowie Honour Roll, Jamestown Methodist Church of Caltowie WW1 Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 5123, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 5123, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ballarat, Adelaide |
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Hurtle Leslie Charles Nayda (known as Les) was born on the 5th of March 1899. Before joining the army, Les worked as a labourer. On Les’ service record it says his religion was Methodist but he changed religion to Catholic when he married his wife.
He enrolled in the Australian Imperial Forces on the 17th of April 1916, which meant he was only 17 but claimed he was 18 years and 2 months. Even though he was underage, he was cleared of all health problems and was fit for duty. He left for war service on the 12th of August 1916 on the HMAT Ballarat (A70) from Adelaide. He fought on the Western Front with the 27th Infantry Battalion.
In 1917 the 27th Battalions captured a 460m long trench where they successfully captured German soldiers near the Le Sars sector. While Les was fighting, he celebrated his 18th birthday in the trenches as well as being wounded. On the 20th of September 1917, in Ypres and Westhoek Ridge in the front line, Les was shot in the left buttock. For this wound he was sent to England and arrived on the 16th of October, twenty-six days after the gunshot and received surgery the next day.
Before going back to France on the 3rd of March 1918, Les escaped for over a fortnight before being found and getting into trouble for being absent without leave from the 31st of January to the 14th of February 1918. His punishment for leaving without being allowed was having 28 days without pay.
From August 1918 onwards, the Battalion was stationed in Amiens. On the 8th of August the Allies launched their Hundred Days Offensive. The 27th Battalion were in charge of capturing Germans, machine gun pieces and artillery. During this battle, He was wounded again, on the 10th of June 1918. The second wound he was shot once again but this time shot in the right hip. For this injury he was also sent back to England where he received surgery on the 15th of June 1918.
Les told his grandson that when he was wounded, he had to limp to a field hospital with his wounded hip because he and another man, who was also wounded, had lost their unit. Les never fully recovered from this injury as a piece of metal was left in his hip.
On the 30th of November 1918, Les was taken on strength from the 27th Battalion and moved to a depot in the UK in Tidworth. Tidworth was an ordnance camp in the UK. He was there until he was discharged from service on the 6th of October 1919.
After returning from war, Les continued to suffer his wounds. He suffered the most from his second wound to his right hip. From this he was forced to limp around. As Les aged, his limp and pain became worse.
Hurtle Leslie Charles died on the 27th of June 1984 from a brain tumour in Adelaide, South Australia and is buried Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia.
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