The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (15717) Gunner Haviland Vance Ward, 12th Field Artillery Brigade, AIF, First World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Meredith Duncan, the story for this day was on (15717) Gunner Haviland Vance Ward, 12th Field Artillery Brigade, AIF, First World War.

15717 Gunner Haviland Vance Ward, 12th Field Artillery Brigade, AIF
DOW 30 September 1917
No photograph in collection – Family supplied

Story delivered 21 January 2016

Today we remember and pay tribute to Gunner Haviland Vance Ward, who was killed fighting in Belgium during the First World War.

Haviland Ward was born in 1890, one of a large family born to James and Ellen Ward of Carboor in Victoria. He attended state school in the Carboor area and was working as a farmer on the eve of the First World War.

Ward enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Ipswich, Queensland, having been rejected on a previous occasion for deficient eyesight. The strict enlistment standards had been relaxed during the Gallipoli campaign to ensure reinforcement quotas were maintained. Ward underwent a period of training in Australia before leaving for Egypt, where he continued his training with the artillery.

The following months were spent in training and reorganising as the Australian troops prepared for deployment to the Western Front. After several months in the relatively quiet sector near the town of Armentières, Ward transferred to an ammunition column, tasked with maintaining a constant supply between ammunition dumps and the gun batteries firing on the German positions. He continued to serve in this capacity in a number of different units.

In 1917 Ward was transferred to a gun crew in the 12th Field Artillery Brigade, operating 4.5-inch howitzers. In September they were firing regular bombardments at German positions near the Belgian town of Ypres in preparation for an attack towards nearby Passchendaele.

On 30 September 1917 Ward’s gun position came under heavy and sustained German counter-fire that killed and wounded a number of the crew’s gunners. Among the casualties was Gunner Haviland Ward. He was evacuated to the 10th Casualty Clearance Station at Remy Siding near Poperinge, where he died of his wounds. Aged just 28, he was buried at Ljissenthoek Military Cemetery.

Haviland Ward’s death devastated his family – three months earlier, they had lost another son, Grenville, in the fighting at Messines. After receiving the news of Haviland’s death they inserted the following tribute to him in the local newspaper:

Life’s highest mission he fulfilled
And bravely answered Duty’s call
To fight for liberty and right,
And battle for oppression’s fall.

Haviland Ward’s name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, along with more than 60,000 others from the First World War. His
photograph is displayed today beside the Pool of Reflection.

This is just one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Gunner Haviland Vance Ward, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Aaron Pegram
Historian, Military History Section