HEWIT, Walter
| Service Number: | 3645 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 August 1915, 3 years, Royal Scots |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 53rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Edinburgh. Scotland, 26 January 1881 |
| Home Town: | Bexley, Rockdale, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | St Leonard's Public School, Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Occupation: | Tinsmith for the Railways |
| Died: | Hit by shell, Dugout near Glencourse Wood, Belgium, 23 September 1917, aged 36 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium Panel 7 - 17 - 23 - 25 - 27 - 29 - 31. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3645, 18th Infantry Battalion, 3 years, Royal Scots | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1915: | Involvement Private, 3645, 18th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Dec 1915: | Embarked Private, 3645, 18th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Sydney | |
| 21 Apr 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 53rd Infantry Battalion | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 3645, 53rd Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), Shell shock |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
Walter HEWIT (Service Number 3645) was born on 26th January 1881 at Edinburgh, Scotland. He began working with the Railways on 11th December 1914 as a tinsmith at Eveleigh in the Locomotive Branch. He remained in this position until he was granted leave to join the AIF. He enlisted on 22nd August 1915 and was 32-years-old at the time. He embarked at Sydney on 20th December 1915, on HMAT ‘Aeneas’ A60.
On 23 February 1916, he was admitted to the hospital in Heliopolis (Egypt), and almost a month later he was admitted again for internal haemorrhoids in Ras-el-Tin on 17th March. After recovering in the hospital, he was taken on strength of the 53rd Battalion in Tel-el-Kebir on 20th April 1916.
On 19th June 1916, he embarked to join the British Expeditionary Forces from Alexandria. He disembarked at Marseilles (France) on 28th June. Shortly after arriving, he was wounded in action in France on 19th July, and the following day was transferred to the Casualty Clearing Station. He was admitted with shell shock. He spent several months recovering from the wounds incurred in July but re-joined his unit in France on 17th November 1916. During February 1917, he was sent to duty as Reinforcements Guide, where he remained until he re-joined his unit on 28th August 1917.
He was killed in action in the field on 28th September 1917. In a letter sent to his wife following his death, it is mentioned that he was possibly buried at Half-Way House in Ypres, but there was no ‘official advice of registration’. Search parties were unsuccessful in locating his remains. He is commemorated at the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium.
His wife sent many letters trying to locate his personal effects and the whereabouts of his grave, but unfortunately, nothing came up. She did however receive the British War Medal and the Victory Medal on his behalf.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.
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