Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Early Life

Ernest Duncan Hewish was born on the 29th December 1897 to Albert Hewish and wife Agnes (nee Condell) in Wallaroo, South Australia. He was baptised at the Wallaroo Methodist church on the 10th February 1898. Ernest was the first child of Albert’s second marriage.

Ernest’s elder half-brothers were Archibald (1892) and Albert (1895) who’s mother Mary Hewish (nee Paterson) passed away shortly after Albert’s birth, aged 32.

His other siblings were Kenneth (1900) and Ethel (1903) were both born at Oodnadatta, SA while Dorothy (1906, Unley) and Elizabeth (1916, Prospect) were born in the suburbs of Adelaide.

Schooling

Based on later Honour Rolls, Ernest appears to have commenced his schooling at the Oodnadatta School then continued at Nailsworth Primary School before attending Adelaide High School.

University

He trained as a cadet at the Chemical Laboratory, University of Adelaide and was studying pharmacy.

World War I

Ernest enlisted with the AIF on 31 May 1915 aged 18. He had served for 2 years in the School Cadets and 4 years in the 80B Battalion of the Senior Cadets. He was 5’7½“, 122 lbs, with a fair complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair.
He served with the 2nd Australian General Hospital Reinforcements and embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A71 'Nestor' on 11 October 1915.

He served in Egypt the proceeded onboard the “Braemer Castle” from Alexandria to Marseilles (26 March to 4 April 1916) to serve with the British Expeditionary forces on the Western Front. Ernest was on leave in the UK for a week in February 1917.

He transferred to the 6th Field Ambulance in April 1917.

Death

Ernest was killed in action in Belgium on 4 October 1917, aged 19. Some memorial notices state that Ernest was killed at Zonnebeke and others say Ypres. Zonnebeke is in the Broodseinde area where the Battle of Broodseinde part of the Third Battle of Ypres took place on the day of Ernest’s death.

He is buried at the Belgian Battery Corner Cemetery. His headstone bears the inscriptions “Son of Albert and Agnes Hewish, of Main North Rd., Prospect, South Australia.
”The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer Psalm 18.2"

"LATE PTE. E. HEWISH." Observer (Adelaide, SA : 1905 - 1931) 19 January 1918: 38. Web. 31 May 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article164145582

“LATE PTE. E. HEWISH.
Mr. and Mrs. A. Hewish, of Main road. Prospect, has been advised that his third son, Pte. Ernest Hewish, of the 6th Field Ambulance, was killed in action in France on October 4. The deceased soldier, who was nearly 20 years of age, had been on active service tor two years. He left South Australia as an orderly to the 2nd Australian General Hospital, and last April he joined the 6th Field Ambulance, with which unit he was connected up to the time of his death. Prior to enlisting, Pte. Hewish was for a time at the Adelaide High School, and then became a cadet in the chemistry laboratory at the Adelaide University, and from the University he joined the forces. He possessed a kind and lovable nature, and will be missed by a large circle of friends. His parents have received a number of letters from his comrades in the field ambulance, expressing their sympathy, including one from one of the officers in charge. One letter stated:—"Although so young, he proved himself a man.".”

Brother
Albert Robert Hewish returned to Australia on 27 July 1919 having served with the 10th and 50th Battalions.

Sources
National Archives of Australia
recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=5481616
National Library of Australia https://trove.nla.gov.au
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article164145385
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article87547097
Trove items tagged Ernest Duncan Hewish
GenealogySA https://www.genealogysa.org.au
State Library of South Australia
https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+74981

Author: EE (Beth) Filmer, Adelaide, South Australia