Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

John Batton Hastings was born 15th September 1884 in Martcullet near Kingston South Australia as the fourth son of Mr. William and Mrs. Agnes Hastings(1). He had 7 siblings, 6 brothers and one sister. His brother Robert McLeod served in WW2.

His attestation paper described him as having a medium complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. He was 5" 9 1/2' tall, had the chest width of 38' and weighed 154 lbs. Hastings was a Presbyterian and was a donor to the Mount Gambier Caledonian Society(3), indicating he was of Scottish heritage. In February 1914 he became a South Australian mounted constable. His next-of-kin was his mother, Agnes Hastings of Naracoorte. It also seems that he spent most of his life pre-war in the lower-Coorong region of South Australia.

Hastings enlisted aged 30 on the 9th August 1915 at the Keswick Barracks, Adelaide. Immediately, he was training at the temporary military training camp at Morphettville Racecourse as a Private in the 2nd Depot Battalion up until 15th September 1915. He was then promoted to a Corporal 16th September to 31st October. He was placed into a Non-Commissioned Officers School between 1st November to 31st December 1915. After NCO School, Hasting was appointed a Sergeant of 2nd Depot of the 16th Reinforcements of the 3rd Light Horse. This lasted from 1st January 1916 to 15th February 1916. He was then placed in the 16th Battalion, 3rd Light Horse.

Hastings embarked from Adelaide, South Australia aboard HMAT Botanist bound for Egypt on 26 April 1916(6). In Tel-el-Kebir he was placed as a Private in the Light Horse Regiment on the 1st August 1916.

In August he embarked overseas from Alexandria to England with the 8th Infantry Brigade Machine Gun Company. In September he spent time in hospital in Salisbury and once recovered went to training depot at Parkhouse.

On the 1st December 1916, Hastings proceeded to France and marched into depot in Camiers. A few days later he was hospitalised with influenza. His sickness must've been significant, as on the 6th January 1917, he embarked on H.S. Dunluce Castle at Saint Augustin (South-west France) for England, and two days later, on the 8th January, he was placed in 3rd London General Hospital, Wandsworth until the 14th March 1917. He was then transferred to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Harefield to convalesce and took a couple of weeks leave to help with his recovery.

Hastings proceeded to France on the 11th May 1917, where he started fighting on the Western Front. He was promoted to a Lance Corporal on the 27th May 1917 at a Machine Gun Corps Base Depot. He took two weeks leave in November and reverted to the rank of Private on 19th November 1917. He took a further two weeks leave in December and returned to the UK and was taken on strength in the field in France 29th December 1917

Hastings became ill 17th January and was treated by field ambulance and casualty clearing stations. He was admitted to 4th General Hospital in France diagnosed with constipation 10th February. He was transferred to a hospital in Etaples. He recovered and marched into his unit 27th February 1918. At this stage it was not known that he had appendicitis. It flared again three days later and he returned to hospital until 31st March.

He returned to the frontline on 11th April 1918. On the 25th July 1918, he was promoted to Temporary Corporal as a result of vice corporal Bannerman being sick.

Hastings returned to hospital 27th August this time suffering from influenza and he reverted to the rank of Private. He returned to duty 5th September and marched in to his unit the 3rd Machine Gun Battalion.

On the 17th September 1918, he was promoted to Lance Corporal, as the result of Corporal Walker being killed in action on the 3rd September 1918.

On the 29th September, he was diagnosed with ‘appendicitis post influenza’ and went to hospital the next day, and on the 4th October, he was taken to the UK as an invalid soldier. His medical report stated that he had an operation 19th October 1918 after having three acute attacks of appendicitis. 3 days after the operation he acquired Influenza, and ran a temperature of over 100° for 5 days.

He was transferred to the Australian Auxiliary Hospital, Dartford on the 29th  November 1918 where he was assessed and a medical report written at Dartford described him as being very pale and looking very debilitated and having lost a lot of weight. He was moved to the No 2 Command Depot in Weymouth 5th December 1918 for light duties. Hastings was AWL on 15th December and again from 29th – 30th December and forfeited a day’s pay.

Hastings was returned to Australia on the Hospital Ship Berrima, medically unfit, embarking 2nd January 1919. He was back in Australia 15th February 1919. He was finally discharged on the 1st May 1919. In total, he served 3 years and 266 days in the Australian Imperial Force, with 2 years and 296 days of them being overseas.(2)

As of June 1921, he was a police constable, working in and around Kalangadoo (4). 3 years later, on 10th September 1924, he married Ms. Winnifred, third daughter of Mr and Mrs. Thomas Hemmings of Kalangadoo(1). They had four children Warren Wallace (1925-1978), Donald Ramsey (1929-1984) Margaret Jean (1931-1962) and Brian William Thomas Rohde (1932-2011).

On circa 15th September 1927, he had a nasty fall but was not badly injured when he participated in the Tally Ho's Hunter Hurdle Race in the Mount Gambier Races.

Between then and October 1928, he and his wife moved to the Streaky Bay area and became a volunteer of Justices For Peace.(1) He also represented the State Bank of South Australia in the Streaky Bay region(5).

On the 11th November 1932, his wife Winifred died.(5) Around this time, he moved from the Streaky Bay area to Adelaide, living on Caulfield Avenue(10) in the city's South.

He married Gwendoline Elva Michell 3rd April 1935. However, they divorced circa 30th November 1944 after she deserted him.(10) 

He died on the 5th September 1962, aged 77 years old. He is buried in North Brighton Cemetery. He is buried with his daughter, Margaret Jean. She died on the 19th April 1962, 5 months before his death(12).

Sources:

Source 1 - https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/77719425?searchTerm=John%20Batton%20Hastings

Source 2 - https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=4768278

Source 3 - https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/87523883?searchTerm=John%20Batton%20Hastings

Source 4 - https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/77696727?searchTerm=John%20Batton%20Hastings

Source 5 - https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/168371507?searchTerm=John%20Batton%20Hastings

Source 6 - https://app.memories.net/memorials/johnbatton-hastings-56941

Source 7 - https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/AWM2018.8.647/bundled/AWM2018.8.647.pdf

Source 8 - https://vwma.org.au/explore/campaigns/57

Source 9 - https://www.bandcstaffregister.com/page146.html

Source 10 - https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/129882851?searchTerm=John%20Batton%20Hastings

Source 11 - https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/87569965?searchTerm=John%20Batton%20Hastings

Source 12 - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/201820426/john-batton-hastings

Source 13 - https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/74313921?searchTerm=John%20Batton%20Hastings

Note - Any information without a superscript citation number refers to source 2