PAYTEN, Ronald Boyd
| Service Number: | 3191 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 October 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 7th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia, 1 July 1898 |
| Home Town: | Campbelltown, Campbelltown Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Technical High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Accountant clerk |
| Died: | 23 November 1981, aged 83 years, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll Of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Oct 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3191, 7th Light Horse Regiment | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 May 1917: | Involvement Private, 3191, 7th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Boorara embarkation_ship_number: A42 public_note: '' | |
| 10 May 1917: | Embarked Private, 3191, 7th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Boorara, Melbourne |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Sydney Technical High School
Ronald Boyd Payten was born on the 1st of July, 1898 in Campbelltown, New South Wales to Alfred Rose Payten (1867-1960) and Helen Boyd Whitehead (1873-1957).(1) He was one of six children, with three sisters, Marjorie, Sara and Wilga, and two brothers, Leonard and Clive.(2) The Payten family were members of the Church of England, and lived on 1 Sydney Rd, Campbelltown, where Payten spent most of his youth.(3) He attended Sydney Technical High School between 1914 and 1916, where he studied subjects such as Arithmetic, English and German, excelling particularly in the mathematics subjects, where he consistently received high marks in his class of 2E.(4) After completing his secondary schooling course, Ronald Boyd Payten utilised his aptitude for mathematics in pursuing his post-schooling occupation as an accountant clerk, where he worked from when he was 16 till he was 18 years of age.(5) During this time, Payten also completed mandatory military training as a Senior Cadet in the 43rd Battalion Division.(6)
Ronald Boyd Payten applied to enlist, aged 18, on July 24th, 1916 at the Victoria Barracks, an Australian army base in Sydney.(7) He was officially approved for military service abroad on the 18th of October, 1916 where he was appointed to the 7th Light Horse Regiment, 25th Reinforcement.(8) Within his unit, he held the rank of trooper or ‘private’. On the 10th of May, 1917, Payten embarked from Melbourne, Victoria to Suez, Egypt on board the HMAT A42 ‘Boorara’.(10) In July 1917, he was taken on strength by the 2nd Light Horse Regiment where he trained at the isolation camp in Moascar, Egypt and was then transferred back to the 7th Light Horse Regiment after completing his training on the 30th of August, 1917.(11)
From September 1917 till early 1918, Ronald Boyd Payten and his regiment operated around areas of Palestine including Tel el Marakeb, Jerusalem and Gaza, aiding General Allenby’s advance into Palestine.(12) The 7th Light Horse regiment supported the Third Battle of Gaza (October – November 1917), a pivotal operation that diverted enemy forces to Gaza, allowing British forces to outflank the Turkish defensive line at Beersheba and capture both Beersheba and Gaza. Payten an admonishment on the 1st of January, 1918 for “conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline” but retained his rank as Private.(13) During Payten’s service in Palestine, he was also diagnosed with diarrhoea and remained hospitalised for two months between April, 1918 and June, 1918.(14) One July 1st, he was transferred to a convalescent depot and once recovered rejoined his regiment at the end of the month. He was promoted to Driver 16 October 1918, but was reverted back to a trooper on the 20th of February, 1919 at his own request.(15)
For the remainder of his service in the Middle East, Ronald Boyd Payten and his unit remained in Egypt, where they were likely involved in the suppression of the Egyptian Revolt that was occurring against British occupation in early 1919. Payten concluded his service abroad and embarked from Kantara, Egypt on the “Madras”, finally returning to Australia on the 28th of June, 1919.(16)
On the 29th of June, 1935, he married Eleana Lilian Ledser (18) During the Second World War, Payten enlisted in the Army Citizen Military Forces in 1939, a volunteer, part-time reserve force trained to support the full-time Regular Army, serving until his retirement in 1948.(19)
Ronald Boyd Payten lived till the age of 83, and passed away on the 23rd of November, 1981.(20)
Endnotes:
1. PAYTEN, Ronald Boyd, Australian Imperial Force Document
2. Anonymous. Ronald Boyd Payten Records 1898-1981. 3. National Archives of Australia
4. Class of 2E Grade Book - 1914
5. PAYTEN, Ronald Boyd, Australian Imperial Force Document
6. Anonymous. Ronald Boyd Payten Records 1898-1981.National Archives of Australia
7. Evening News (Sydney, NSW), Monday 24 July 1916, page 4
8. Anonymous. Ronald Boyd Payten Records 1898-1981.National Archives of Australia
9. Ibid
10. Ibid
11. Ibid
12. Ibid
13. Ibid
14. Ibid
15. Ibid
16. Ibid
17. Ibid
18. PAYTEN, Ronald Boyd, Australian Imperial Force Document 19. Ibid 20. Ibid