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Hedley John Ewart Eddington - Information

As the war raged on, Hedley was working as a clerk. He had served four years in the Senior Cadets and one year in the Militia. Hedley was born in Camden in 1898, and later resided at Otto on Chiltern Rd in Willoughby with his mother Sarah Ann Harman. Hedley decided to do his bit, enlisting in the AIF on the 12th of August 1916 at the Royal Showground Camp in Sydney. He trained at Dubbo, and at Liverpool where he was posted as a Private to the 22nd Reinforcements, 2nd Battalion. He then embarked Sydney onboard the SS Port Nicholson on the 8th of November 1916.

Hedley landed in Devonport, England in early January 1917. After further training in signals, he proceeded to France via Southampton in late July. Here, he joined the 2nd Battalion during the Third Battle of Ypres. Hedley lived through the horrendous fire and mud in Belgium. However, the fighting in 1918 proved to be more devastating with the German March Offensive and subsequent counter attacks, culminating in the bloodiest year of the war. In these operations, Hedley was wounded in action. On the 2nd of May, he received a gun shot wound to his left foot, and was buried in earth by a shell explosion. He was uncovered and rushed to hospital in Rouen. From here, he was evacuated to England on the 8th of May. He was admitted to the Middlesex War Hospital, and later the 3rd Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford. He enjoyed some convalescence before resuming training at Sutton Veny in October. Before long, the Armistice was announced on November 11th. He was sent back home on the 19th of February 1919, and was discharged by May.