S14780
NIELD, Howard Champion
| Service Number: | 1629 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 7 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Driver |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Crystal Brook, SA, 3 November 1891 |
| Home Town: | Tarlee, Clare and Gilbert Valleys, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farm Labourer |
| Died: | 19 August 1969, aged 77 years, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Parkside Public School Roll of Honor, St Peters Spicer Memorial Church Stained Glass Window Honor Roll WW1 (1), Tarlee & District Roll of Honor WW1, Tarlee War Memorial, Unley Town Hall WW1 Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 7 Jul 1915: | Enlisted | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Nov 1915: | Involvement Private, 1629, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 18 Nov 1915: | Embarked Private, 1629, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Geelong, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Driver, 1629 |
Help us honour Howard Champion Nield's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Kathleen Bambridge
He was awarded his Military Medal by General Birdwood (UK) on 6 March 1920 in Adelaide.
Biography contributed by St Dominic's Priory College
Howard Champion Nield was born on 3 November 1891 in Crystal Brook, South Australia, to Henry Nield and Fanny née Champion. Raised in a large Methodist family, Howard was one of twelve siblings. The family moved to Adelaide when he was young, and he attended the Parkside Public School and attended the St Peter’s Spicer Memorial Church.
Before enlisting in the military, Howard worked as a farm labourer and lived in Tarlee, a small town in South Australia’s Mid North region. On 27 July 1915, at the age of 23, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Keswick, South Australia, joining the 3rd Light Horse Regiment, 12th Reinforcement, as a Private. He embarked for overseas service aboard HMAT Geelong on 18 November 1915.
Howard served in Egypt during the First World War and was later transferred to the 4th Division Ammunition Column, rising to the rank of Driver. He returned to Australia on 9 December 1918 aboard the Argyllshire, having earned distinction for his service. He was awarded the Military Medal by General Birdwood on March 6th, 1920, and was recommended for the Meritorious Service Medal
Howard was not the only member of his family to serve. Several of his brothers also enlisted. His brother Arthur Restarick Nield, a Lieutenant in the Imperial Camel Corps, was killed in action in Palestine in 1918 during the Battle of Mussellabeh. Howard had three other brothers serve Ernest Wilfred, Frederick Baden, and Hugh Kingsley Nield. His brother Hugh was awarded the Military Cross for his leadership and bravery on the Somme in 1918.
On 18 August 1923, Howard married Marjorie Elizabeth Day at the Methodist Church in Malvern, South Australia. Together, they had two children: Eleanor Margaret, born in 1924, and Graham Arthur, born in 1926. Both went on to marry in 1952, and Eleanor passed away in 1992, followed by Graham in 2004.
Howard passed away on 19 August 1969 at Daw Park, South Australia, aged 77. He commemorated at the South Australian Garden of Remembrance at Centennial Park. His name appears on numerous Honour Rolls and Memorials in Parkside, St Peters, Unley and Tarlee.
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