FIELD, William Hampstead
| Service Number: | 470 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 February 1916, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 43rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Hoyleton, South Australia, 4 May 1888 |
| Home Town: | Mannum, Mid Murray, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Clare Public School and Hoylton Public School |
| Occupation: | Stockman/Mounted Police Constable |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Comines-Warneton, Belgium, France, 31 July 1917, aged 29 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Adelaide Treasurer and Chief Secretary Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Clare Original Clare School WW1 Memorial, Clare Schools Old Scholars who Fell WW1 Memorial, Clare WW1 Memorial Arch, Mannum District Roll of Honor, Mannum War Memorial, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient), Thebarton S.A. Police Roll of Honor Supreme Sacrifice, Thebarton S.A. Police Roll of Honor WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 470, Adelaide, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Jun 1916: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Private, 470, 43rd Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, embarkation_roll: roll_number: 18 embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: |
|
| 9 Jun 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 470, 43rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Adelaide | |
| 7 Jun 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 470, 43rd Infantry Battalion, Battle of Messines | |
| 11 Jul 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 470, 43rd Infantry Battalion, Warneton |
William Henry Field a Biography
William Hampstead Field was born on May 4, 1888, in Hoyleton, South Australia. He was the third of nine children born to William Henry Field (1860–1942) and Ada Anne Seabury (1863–1949). His father worked as the local butcher. In 1892, the family moved to Penwortham, possibly to take up farming.
From 1909 to 1913, William lived on York Road in Clare, working as a drover. In 1913, he enlisted in the South Australian Police Force and was stationed in Mannum as a Mounted Constable. Life in Mannum was quite hectic for law enforcement, with several newspaper reports highlighting William’s exploits.
It was in Mannum that William met Mabel Mary Phillips. They married on September 22, 1915, at the Baptist Manse in Edwardstown, South Australia.
On February 2, 1916, William enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in Mannum, with the serial number 470. Both of his younger brothers were already serving overseas. He was assigned to C Company, 43rd Battalion, which was formed in South Australia on March 7, 1916.
William and Mabel’s only child, William Henry (Billy) Field, was born on April 24, 1916, in Adelaide, South Australia. Mabel gave birth in Adelaide to be close to William before his unit embarked. Billy was born six weeks before William’s departure, and it is believed that William saw his son before embarkation to Europe.
The 43rd Battalion departed from Outer Harbour, Adelaide, on June 9, 1916, aboard the troop transport “Afric.” After a brief stop in Egypt, they continued to Britain for further training, arriving on the Western Front in late December. The 43rd Battalion spent 1917 entrenched in the bloody warfare of Flanders, participating in the Battle of Messines in June.
William died on July 31, 1917, at Messines in Belgium, at the age of 29.
The Chronicle (Adelaide, SA: 1895–1954) reported on Saturday, August 25, 1917: “FIELD. —On the 31st July, in France, William Hampstead Field, beloved husband of Mabel Field, aged 29 years. Greater love hath no man, that he lay down his life for his loved ones.”
William has no known grave, and his name is recorded on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in Ypres, Belgium. This memorial is dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown.
Tragically, his only child, William Henry (Billy) Field, also lost his life in air operations with the RAAF in 1942.
Submitted 31 July 2024 by Kym Truscott
Biography contributed by Sharyn Roberts
Mrs. Field, wife of the late Lance-Corporal Field, has received the following comforting letter from Lieut. B. H. Richards, 43rd Battalion, in reference to her gallant son's death:
—"It is with deep regret that I am writing this letter, but I feel you would be glad to have a little news of your late husband's, Lance-Corporal W. H. Field's, death, which occurred last week in the field. I had been his platoon officer for a couple of months, and well know how useful he was as a section leader, and how highly his men valued him. He has had rather a varied career in the platoon, as he was for some time platoon quartermaster, and carried out his work most satisfactorily. Later he was in with the Lewis gunners, and finally with the bombing section. He was always most thorough in his work and very valuable in the line, on account of his coolness under fire. On behalf of the officers of his company, I offer to you our deepest
sympathy in your sad loss."
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