WARD, Bernhardt Richard
| Service Number: | 3299 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 27 July 1915, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 52nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Plympton, South Australia, 13 February 1889 |
| Home Town: | Plympton South, City of West Torrens, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Plympton Public School |
| Occupation: | Orderman/Traveller |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 3 July 1916, aged 27 years |
| Cemetery: |
Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix, Bethune, Nord Pas de Calais |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Plympton District Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 27 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Adelaide, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Oct 1915: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Private, 3299, 12th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Benalla embarkation_ship_number: A24 public_note: '' |
|
| 27 Oct 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3299, 12th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Benalla, Adelaide | |
| 3 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 3299, 52nd Infantry Battalion |
Death of a 52nd Bn Sergeant
One of the fellow soldiers of Bernhardt was Private Hans Heath, also of the 52nd Bn and from Golden Grove, SA. I am researching Hans' experiences in WW1 - he returned to Australia from France in late 1916 as a partial invalid after being evacuated on 28th July 1916. I am talking to Hans' daughters, now both around 90 yrs old, and Dorothy, the eldest, just told me that the only incident Hans told them of his war experiences was the following:
Hans was in the trenches and watching the enemy lines when a Sergeant told him to come down from his watch and after he did so, the Sergeant replaced him in his watch and was then shot in the head, dead.
I have searched various records and found that the only time between when the 52nd Bn arrived at the Western Front (15th June 1916) and before Hans was evacuated was when they were in the front lines near Petillon between 27th June and 12 July 1916. The only Sergeant in the 52nd Bn I can find who died during that time was Sgt Bernhardt Ward who was buried at Petillon cemetery so I am fairly sure this was the story of Bernhardt's death on 3rd July 1916.
Captain Smyth sent a letter to Sgt Ward's parents after his death - Hans Heath also knew Capt. Smyth as he commented on his character to the SA Red Cross after Smyth was killed on 3rd Sept 1916. This suggests that Smyth, Ward and Heath were all in the same Company and further supports the idea that Hans' story relates to Bernhardt's death.
Submitted 2 June 2022 by Michael Heath
Biography
Bernhardt Richard was born as Bernhardt Deidrich WARD on 13th February, 1889 in Plympton, South Australia
His parents were Samuel WARD and Ellen HAYLES
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"...3299 Sergeant Bernard (Bernhardt) Richard Ward, 12th Battalion, of Plympton, SA. An orderman/traveller prior to enlistment he embarked with the 11th Reinforcements on HMAT Benalla (A24) on 27 October 1915. He later transferred to the 52nd Battalion and was killed in action in France on 3 July 1917, aged 27." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
"THE LATE SERGEANT B. R. WARD
Mr. Samuel P. Ward, an old resident of Plympton, has been officially informed that his third son, Sergeant Bernard Richard Ward, was killed in action on July 4. He enlisted in July, 1915, and embarked for Egypt in October last. He had been in the employ of Messrs. Walter & Morris for a number of years. He took an active part in athletic games, and was widely known in Sturt district football circles. He was in his 28th year." - from the Adelaide Chronicle 05 Aug 1916 (trove.nla.gov.au)
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