Pte A Hazell

 

Arthur Hazell was born in 1891 at Wargrave but in 1901 he lived with his father Thomas and mother Martha in North Street. His sister Daisy married Tom Nash. Thomas was a cowman on the farm. Arthur left London for Freemantle, Western Australia on 20 January 1911 and enlisted in the Australian army at Bathurst New South Wales on 21 September 1916. His enlistment papers say that a previous application had been rejected because of inadequate sight in his right eye. He was accepted the second time, though, and sailed from Sydney back to Plymouth on 3 November 1916, arriving on 9 January 1917.

 

He went to France on 20 March 1917 and was posted to 57th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force. The battalion took part in the advance as the Germans withdrew to the Hindenburg Line, took a defensive role in the Second Battle of Bullecourt from 3 to 17 May before mounting a major attack at Polygon Wood on 26 September as part of the Third Battle of Ypres.

 

Arthur Hazell was killed in action on 27 September and is commemorated on the Menin Gate memorial.