Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of James Hayes and Mary Ann Hayes nee Brain of Colac, Victoria

Address at the time of enlistment was of the Queensland Hotel, Mungindi, NSW

Next of Kin given as a friend Mrs. Ada Cashman of the same address

Medal: British War Medal

The Degilbo Shire Roll of Honour lists a C. Hayes. A search of the nominal roll of the AIF reveals that there are only four men listed with that surname and initial who did not survive the war. None of the four would appear to have any connection with the North Burnett region, but it is possible that #4315 Chris Hayes may have been known in the area at some time as a result of his occupation. On that basis, the writer has compiled the following narrative.
 
The only source of information about Christopher Hayes comes from his military file. A Roll of Honour circular was not completed and at enlistment he stated that he had a brother John but was not aware of his address. Chris Hayes was born near Colac in Western Victoria. When he presented himself for enlistment at the Narrabri Camp in North Western NSW on 19th April 1916, Chris stated he was 36 years old, a labourer. He gave his address as Queensland Hotel, Mungindi. When asked to provide a next of kin, Chris could not provide an address for any relative. Instead, he named a friend, Mrs Ada Cashman of the Queensland Hotel, Mungindi as his contact address.
 
The town of Mungindi is located on the QLD / NSW border. The railway to the NSW side of the border was extended from Moree to Mungindi in 1914 and it is possible that Chris was working as a labourer on its construction. The rail line into the North Burnett was also being extended in the years from 1910 to 1915 and it is not unlikely that Chris Hayes was known in both locations as a railway labourer. It is evident from the scant details available that Chris Hayes had during his adult life travelled widely across several states. As a labourer, he would have had to move around as the work and the seasons dictated. It is unsurprising that such a lifestyle would lead to loss of contact with family.
 
Chris travelled by train from Mungindi to Narrabri to enlist and he spent two weeks in the camp before being moved on to the Armidale Depot where his enlistment was finalised. On 6th July, perhaps on the strength of a degree of horsemanship acquired during his working life, Chris was transferred to the Light Horse Depot at Menangle Park south west of Sydney. Today, Menangle Park continues to support a strong equestrian industry. By late in 1916, the demands of the AIF were for infantry reinforcements to make good the losses incurred on the Somme, rather than supply remounts to the Light Horse which at that time were still garrisoned in Egypt.
 
On 10th October 1916, Chris was reallocated as a reinforcement for the 29th Infantry Battalion. He went into camp at Liverpool and on the 3rd November embarked for overseas on the “Afric” in Sydney as part of the 17th reinforcements for the 29th Battalion.
 
The reinforcements landed in Plymouth on 9th January 1917 and travelled by train to the 5th Training Battalion at Hurdcott on Salisbury Plain where they would continue their infantry training before being deployed to France. On 11th February 1917, Chris reported sick and was admitted into the Military Hospital at Fovant. On the 14th February 1917, Chris Hayes died of pneumonia. He was buried in the churchyard of St Editha’s, a small rural church near Salisbury in Wiltshire. There are a number of men from the 29thBattalion buried at Saint Editha’s who all died around the same time, and from similar illnesses.
 
Chris had allocated three shillings and sixpence of his daily pay to be deferred into a bank account. Upon his death, Mrs Cashman of the Queensland Hotel became the recipient of his deferred pay as well as a few personal items.
 
When medals and the bronze memorial plaque and scroll were being distributed to family of deceased soldiers, the authorities spent many months attempting to locate a relative of Chris Hayes to whom these items could be sent. Mrs Cashman was not eligible and, in any event, she and her husband had moved on from Mungindi with no forwarding address. Even adds in newspapers were unable to locate any family member and the mementos remained unclaimed. The permanent headstone in St Editha’s churchyard simply lists Chris’s name rank and unit.

The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland 

Died on this date – 14th February…… Christopher Hayes was born at Colac, near Geelong, Victoria around 1880.

He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 19th April, 1916 as a 36 year old, single, Labourer from Queensland Hotel, Mungindi, Queensland (Mungindi is on the border of NSW & Queensland).

Private Christopher Hayes, Service number 4315, embarked from Sydney on HMAT Afric (A19) on 3rd November, 1916 with the 8th Infantry Brigade, 29th Infantry Battalion, 11th Reinforcements & disembarked at Plymouth, England on 9th January, 1917.

Reinforcements were only given basic training in Australia. Training was completed in training units in England. Some of these were located in the Salisbury Plain & surrounding areas in the county of Wiltshire.

He was admitted sick to Military Hospital, Fovant, Wiltshire on 10th February, 1917 from 8th Training Battalion, Hurdcott, Wiltshire.

Private Christopher Hayes died at 7.30 a.m. on 14th February, 1917 at Military Hospital, Fovant, Wiltshire from Pneumonia.

He was buried in the churchyard of St. Edith’s at Baverstock, Wiltshire where 28 other WW1 Australian War Graves are located.

(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/baverstock.html