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H E Hawkesworth (War Service).
Born on 19 May 1881, Herbert Edwin Hawkesworth was the son of Edwin Hawkesworth and Mary Elizabeth nee Vial, of Marnock Vale, Fyans Street, Geelong.
He was educated at the College for five years from 1893. After a period with his father in business, he went to the Ballarat School of Mines, and afterwards was a metallurgist at Broken Hill. He was studying for the Mines’ Managership Examination when war was declared, so returned to Geelong to enlist (252) on 19 August 1914.
He sailed for Egypt on 21 October 1914 with the First Division on
HMAT A3 Orvieto, and was at the Landing at Gallipoli, being wounded later at Cape Helles. He took part in the Battle of Lone Pine, and other important engagements during the Gallipoli campaign. Proceeding to France in April 1916 after the Evacuation, he then served through the remainder of the war on the Western Front, being wounded on two further occasions, at Passchendaele and Broodseinde. Lance Corporal Hawkesworth was ultimately invalided to England with a septic finger, and put on home service duty, only to succumb to the ravages of Spanish influenza two weeks before the Armistice at Devonport Military Hospital, on 27 October 1918. He was buried at the Plymouth (Efford) Church Cemetery – Grave C.4779.
The AWM Collection holds a group portrait of the members of the 2nd Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery taken at Locre on 20 February 1918, which includes L/Cpl H E Hawkesworth.
His cousin, Lieutenant Lorimer James Vial, of 8 Battalion (son of Frank and Emily Mary Vial, of Kew, was killed in action at Rosieres on 9 August 1918, and buried at Heath Cemetery, Harbonnieres – Grave VII.J.11.
Sources: Based on an edited extract from Geelong Collegians at the Great War compiled by James Affleck. pp51-52 (citing Pegasus December 1918; Australian War Memorial; Commonwealth War Graves Commission; Photo Pegasus December, 1918; AWM E01821.)