No.1306  Private Edward Ernest Hyde
Edward Ernest Hyde was born in the parish of Williamstown in March 1894, the son of Alfred and Elizabeth Hyde.

War Service
Edward was a single man and working as a labourer when he enlisted in Melbourne in January 1916, at the age of 21. He was described as being 5 feet 6¾ inches tall, with a dark complexion, black hair and brown eyes.  He was assigned to the 39th Battalion, Machine Gun Section, with the rank of Private.

Private Hyde left Australia on 27 May 1916 aboard the troop transport ship Ascanius.  He disembarked on 18 July in Devonport, the naval dockyard in Plymouth, England, and began training at Bustard Trenches on Salisbury Plain.  On 22 November he was admitted to Fargo Military Hospital, Wiltshire, for observation (reason unknown) and was discharged on 16 December to re-join his battalion.

On 20 December 1916, Edward proceeded overseas to France from Folkstone, Kent, on the Princess Victoria, and was marched out to his unit on 14 January 1917.  On 7 June he was wounded in action, sustaining injuries to his arm and leg, and was admitted to Etaples hospital, in Picardy.  After two weeks, he was moved to the Australian Convalescent Camp in Rouelles, near Le Havre.  He returned to his battalion on 8 October that year.  However, just four days later, he was wounded a second time, this time sustaining an injury to his right shoulder.  This time he was admitted to the Australian General Hospital in Wimereux, near Boulogne.

On 25 January 1918, Edward was transferred back to England, to Command Depot No.2 in Weymouth, which accommodated those men not expected to be fit for duty within six months. There he was diagnosed with DAH (Disordered Action of the Heart) a condition characterised by exhaustion, inability to sleep, breathlessness and heart palpitations.  He remained there until 26 June 1918, when he was returned to France.

Private Hyde re-joined his battalion on 10 July 1918.  However, just over a fortnight later, he was re admitted to hospital with the same condition.  In October he returned to his battalion again, only to be sent back to hospital in Le Havre 18 days later, still suffering from DAH.  He remained hospitalised until January 1919, when he left France for England, arriving in Southampton on 14 January.  On 9 February, Edward embarked on his journey back to Australia on the Ascanius, arriving back in Melbourne on 3 April 1919.

Medals and Entitlements

• British War Medal
• Victory Medal