Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Freemasons VC Memorial | Great Queen Street | |
Awards & Titles: | Victoria Cross Military Cross & Bar Efficiency Decoration | ||
Early Life :
Reginald Frederick Johnson Hayward was born on 17 June 1891 near Swartberg, South Africa.Education & Career :
Educated at the Hilton College - a private school in Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 6/Wiltshire |
6th (Service) Battalion Formed at Devizes in September 1914 as part of K2 and attached as Army Troops to 19th (Western) Division. Moved to Salisbury Plain. D ecember 1914 : moved to billets in Basingstoke and joined 58th Brigade in same Division. Moved to Perham Down in March. July 1915 : landed in France. 20 September 1917 : amalgamated with the Wiltshire Yeomanry, becoming the 6th (Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry) Bn. 13 May 1918 : reduced to cadre strength. Surplus troops went to 2nd Bn and 30th Division. 16 June 1918 : moved to Boulogne, transferred to 42nd Brigade in 14th (Light) Division and returned to England. 18 June 1918 : at Brookwood, reconstituted by absorbing the 9th Bn, the Dorsetshire regiment. 4 July 1918 : landed at Boulogne. |
| Action : War Survivor |
Although many perished in times of national conflict and in the service of their country, many more survived including those interned as Prisoners of War. Stories of those who did survive are included as part of this site, especially those with high gallantry awards, those included against an external rolls of honour and those who had a distinguished career in wartime and military leaderhip.
Citations & Commemorations :
London Gazette: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL, 1918.Lt. (A./Capt.) Reginald Frederick Johnson Hayward, M.C., Wilts. R. For most conspicuous bravery in action. This officer, while in command of a company, displayed almost superhuman powers of endurance and consistent courage of the rarest nature. In spite of the fact that he was buried, wounded in the head, and rendered deaf on the first day of operations, and had his arm shattered two days later, he refused to leave his men (even though he received a third serious injury to his head), until -he collapsed from sheer physical exhaustion. Throughout the whole of this period the enemy were attacking his company front without cessation, but Captain Hayward I continued to move across the opera -from one trench to another with absolute disregard of his own personal safety, concentrating entirely on re-organising his defences and encouraging his men. It was almost entirely due to the magnificent example of ceaseless energy of this officer that many most determined attacks upon his portion of the trench system failed entirely.
[The London Gazette Publication date: 23 April 1918 Supplement: 30648 Page: 4967/8]
For further information: http://www.vconline.org.uk/reginald-f-j-hayward-vc/4586954353
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Lodge of Industry No. 186 E.C. | London |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
28th June 1913 | 25th February 1914 | 1st April 1914 |
The records of Lodge and Industry at United Grand Lodge show that Reginald was attributed to war service between 1914 and 1918. His service as a Freemason continues beyond records in the public domain.
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley