Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Howard was the son of Philip John PAYNE & Louisa BOYLE and was born on the 22nd of September 1888 in the Beehive Buildings, Port Road, Hindmarsh, SA.

His parents were married on the 10th of July 1881 in Unley, SA.

His father was the son of Sidney PAYNE & Elizabeth RICHARDS and was born in 1861 in Briton Ferry, Glamorgan, Wales.
His mother was born in 1859 and was brought up in an orphanage.

Howard was the third child born into this family of 7 children.

Howard’s father was an infant when the Payne family decided to immigrate to Australian, arriving in Western Australia in late 1862.
They then made there way to South Australia 12 months later and Howard’s grandfather began a hairdressing business at 90 Hindley Street, Adelaide.

Howard’s father became a hairdresser and by 1888 he had purchased the Beehive Buildings on Port Road, Hindmarsh and ran a fancy goods repository, tobacconist and hair dressing salon in the front of the building.

The Payne family lived in the back rooms of the building.

After leaving school Howard became a draper.

With the outbreak on WW1 his brother Charles enlisted into the 43rd Battalion on the 4th of January 1915 (R1410).

At the age of 27, Howard enlisted into the AIF on the 5th of May 1915 in Keswick and was allotted the service number 4758 and posted to the 1st Reinforcements of the AAMC (Australian Army Medical Corps) in Mitcham Camp.

Howard embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A62 Wandilla on the 17th of June 1915 and disembarked in Port Suez on the 18th of July.
He spent about 4 weeks here before embarking on board HT Aquatania to reinforce the AAMC on the Gallipoli Peninsular.

He landed at Lemnos Island and suffered from dysentery and hospitalized before being posted to Malta with AAMC.
Again he suffered from dysentery and was evacuated back to Egypt and then to England.

Whilst he was in England his brother Norman enlisted into the 50th Battalion on the 18th of April 1916 (2967).

Howard spent the next 6 months in England before proceeding to France and then transferred to the 2nd Australian Field Ambulance in the Somme.

When he was in the Somme, Norman embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A19 Afric on the 6th of November 1916 and Charles embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A35 Berrima on the 16th of December 1916.

Howard suffered a few more episodes of dysentery while in Frannce and was eventually evacuated back to England.
He embarked from England on the 6th of May 1918 on board HT Suevic, disembarked in Melbourne on the 7th of June 1918 and entrained to Adelaide.

Howard was discharged, medically unfit, from the AIF on the 26th of July 1918.

He returned to his pre war employment as a draper and by 1925 was living at 169 King William Road, Norwood and in the same year his parents purchased a home at 44 Mitchell Street, Goodwood and Howard moved in with them.

Howard married Elsie Ethel (Lill) CLARKE on the 25th of January 1930 in Adelaide.
Elsie was the daughter of Henry George CLARKE & Jessie Stoddart Ethel GRANT and was born on the 25th of January 1902 in Adelaide, SA.
Elsie already had an 8 year old daughter, but she was raised as Elsie’s sister, by Elsie’s parents.

After their marriage they lived with Hoards parents at 44 Mitchell Street, Goodwood and by 1935 Howard was employed as a shop keeper.

His mother died on the 20th of July 1938 at their home, 44 Mitchell Street, Goodwood and they buried her in the Hindmarsh Cemetery with her children, Louisa and Fred.

His father died on the 23rd of July 1941 at their home, 44 Mitchell Street, Goodwood Park and Howard buried him in the Hindmarsh Cemetery, with Louisa.

Howard died on the 20th of April 1942 in the Wendouree Private Hospital and was buried the following day in the Hindmarsh Cemetery; Section Upper O4, with his parents.

PAYNE.-The Friends of the late Mr. HOWARD SEYMOUR PAYNE are respectfully informed that his Funeral will Leave his late Residence, 44 Mitchell Street, Goodwood Park, on TUESDAY at 2 p.m. for Burial in the Hindmarsh Cemetery.
BRUCE A. RANDALL.
Modern Funeral Service.

Military

At the age of 27, Howard enlisted into the AIF on the 5th of May 1915 in Keswick and was allotted the service number 4758 and posted to the 1st Reinforcements of the AAMC (Australian Army Medical Corps) in Mitcham Camp.
He listed his father, of Port Road, Hindmarsh, as his next of kin.

Howard embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A62 Wandilla on the 17th of June 1915 and disembarked in Port Suez on the 18th of July.
He spent about 4 weeks here before embarking on board HT Aquatania to reinforce the AAMC on the Gallipoli Peninsular.
They sailed to Lemnos Island and a few days later Howard suffered from dysentery on the 25th of August and was admitted into the 3rd Australian General Hospital at West Mudros for just over 3 weeks.

Howard was discharged to duty with the 3rd Australian General Hospital at Malta Fortess, Malta.
He suffered from dysentery again and was evacuated on board HS Somali to Alexandria on the 21st of October and admitted into the 3rd Australian General Hospital in Cairo, 4 days later.

On the 5th of November he was evacuated to England on board HMAS Salta and admitted into the 1st Southern General Hospital, Dudley Road, Birmingham.
Three weeks later he was discharged to No.3 Command Depot, Montevideo Camp in Weymouth.

Howard spent the next 6 months here before he was posted to the 35th draft on the 7th of June and proceeded to France at the end of June.
It was another 6 weeks before Howard was taken on strength with the 2nd Australian Field Ambulance on the 10th of August at the Corps Collection Station at Chateau Vadencourt, Somme.
The 2nd Australian Field Ambulance was assigned to the 2nd Brigade which comprised of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Battalions, all from Victoria

The Field Ambulance Company was responsible for 'Second Line' casualty evacuation from 'First Line' Regimental Aid Posts (RAP) in each Battalion.
When an attack or advance was undertaken, the RAP would follow up the units' forward elements and were thus exposed to enemy direct fire (rifles and machine guns) and indirect fire (artillery mortar fire and even gas).

The Field Ambulance would deploy personnel forward to retrieve casualties from the RAP to the Field Ambulance Advanced Dressing Station or direct to a Casualty Clearing Station (CCS).
They would have to deploy forward to reach the RAP, which meant Howard came under the same risks as the front line combat troops.

They had a number of means to assist in casualty evacuation from light rail, horse drawn vehicles and even motor vehicles.

Howard and the Field Ambulance spent September in the Renninghelst area evacuating the sick and wounded before moving to Steenvoorde and Ergines by the end of October.
They spent November at Berafray and Buire before moving to La Chaussee on the 19th of November, where they established a hospital.

They moved to Fremont on the 1st of December and the same day Howard suffered from Influenza & dysentery and was admitted into the 3rd Stationary Hospital in Rouen. The following day he was transferred by Ambulance Train to the 2nd Convalescent Hospital, Le Havre and then 7 days later he was evacuated to England on board HS Warilla and admitted into the 3rd Southern General Hospital in Oxford on the 9th of December.

Howard spent Christmas 1916 here before being discharged to No.2 Command Depot in Weymouth on the 24th of January 1917.
He spent nearly 3 months here and was then posted to the hardening and drafting depot in Perham Downs on the 14th of April.
Four weeks later Howard was transferred to the AMC Training Depot in Parkhouse on the 12th of May and proceeded to France 15th of June.

Howard rejoined his Field Ambulance on the 28th of June who was resting in billets at Frechencourt.
On the 14th of July they marched 15 miles to Bray-sur-Somme for 10 days before moving to Aveluy and entraining to Caestre. They then marched into billets at Oxelaire where they evacuated the sick and injured for 7 days before marching to Berquin to evacuate the soldiers to Bailleul.

By the 1st of September they had moved to Le Verier and on the 14th they took over the Rest Station at Wippenhoek from the 10th Australian Field Ambulance before moving to Ramparts.
Their next moved was to the ANZAC Corps Main Dressing Station at Menin Road and by mid October they had been despatched to man the Ambulance Train running between Ypres & Remy Siding.

They remained in this sector until the 11th of November when they moved to East Dominion Camp at Ouderdom. The following day they entrained to Arques and marched to Quiestede and after spending 2 days here they moved to Ouve Wirquin and evacuated the wounded to St Omer.

Wirwignes was their next destination on the 18th of November where they rested, trained and then established a limited hospital.
Three weeks was spent here before they moved to Ramilles Camp near Neuve Eglise.
It was here on the 20th of December that Howard suffered from another attack of severe dysentery and was admitted into the 50th Australian Field Ambulance for 4 days before being transferred to the 11th Australian Field Ambulance at Bailleul, where he spent Christmas 1917.

On the 8th of January 1918 he was transferred to the 53rd General Hospital in Boulogne and 7 days later he was evacuated to England on board HS Jan Breydel and admitted into the High Beach Hospital, Westgate-on-Sea, Kent, which was run by the VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment).
He remained here for 7 weeks before being transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford on the 4th of March.

Two weeks later Howard was discharged to No.2 Command Depot in Weymouth awaiting his embarkation home to Australia.

Howard embarked from England on the 6th of May 1918 on board HT Suevic, disembarked in Melbourne on the 7th of June 1918 and entrained to Adelaide.

Howard was discharged, medically unfit, from the AIF on the 26th of July 1918 and awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medals.