Pte
Daniel Joseph Hardy
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1888 |
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Place of birth: Stratford, Victoria, Australia |
General information
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Profession: Grazier (sheep or cattle farmer) |
Army information
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Country: Australia |
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Force: Australian Imperial Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 1044 |
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Enlistment date: 17/02/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Sale, Victoria, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 37th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 12/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Hamburg, Passendale, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 29 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: XVI Row: H Grave: 10 |
Distinctions and medals 3
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British War Medal Medal |
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Military Medal Medal — 28/01/1918 |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
The 3rd Australian Division attacked in the morning of the 12th of October with two Brigades. The 10th Brigade would attack on the left of the Divisional front and the 9th Brigade on the right. The 10th Brigade attacked directly South of the Ravebeek with the 37th, 38th and 40th Australian Battalions. Private Daniel Joseph Hardy was a Private in the 37th Australian Battalion allotted to “C” company. Two platoons of his company were in the first wave and another two in the second wave.
The men advanced at zero hour, 5.25 a.m. The terrain during the advance was very difficult to cross, as the stream of the Ravebeek had burst out of its banks, which were destroyed by the constant shelling. The surrounding fields were thusly turned into a muddy plain. On top of the difficult terrain the Battalions suffered heavy casualties from machinegun fire and artillery fire. The German fire came from the direction of Augustus Wood and Waterfields. These German positions were eventually taken with fixed bayonets. Most of the occupants surrendered. The 37th kept pushing on despite heavy German opposition. At 7 a.m. the Battalion managed to capture their first objective. Due to the marshy state of the ground the line proved to be impossible to consolidate. They chose to consolidate a line 50 yards in rear of the objective, where the ground was more suitable. They dug under very heavy fire. Battalion Headquarters were set up at Hamburg Farm, which became a principal target for the German artillery, making it hard to reach the Brigade Headquarters with runners about 1500 yards away. This is why carrier pigeons were used to maintain communications.
Soon the Battalion had only two officers left in the line. The 37th had suffered heavy casualties and the line became too thin to hold. The two officers collected the men, pulled back and took up a fresh position some hundred yards in the rear. Many wounded were lying about since the start of the attack and stretcher bearers were sent out to help the men unable to walk back to their lines. Private Daniel Joseph Hardy volunteered to help the stretcher bearers and even organized and controlled the other stretcher bearers. He was instrumental in having all the wounded in his area rapidly evacuated. The aid post was subjected to concentrations of artillery fire. Stretcher bearing over the water logged terrain, targeted by the German artillery, was an immensely arduous and hazardous task, and several stretcher bearers succumbed while helping the wounded. Private Daniel Joseph Hardy was one of the men who was killed in action while he fulfilled his duty as a stretcher bearer. Daniel Joseph Hardy was killed instantly by a shell about 8.30 a.m. in the area of Waterfields.
The men advanced at zero hour, 5.25 a.m. The terrain during the advance was very difficult to cross, as the stream of the Ravebeek had burst out of its banks, which were destroyed by the constant shelling. The surrounding fields were thusly turned into a muddy plain. On top of the difficult terrain the Battalions suffered heavy casualties from machinegun fire and artillery fire. The German fire came from the direction of Augustus Wood and Waterfields. These German positions were eventually taken with fixed bayonets. Most of the occupants surrendered. The 37th kept pushing on despite heavy German opposition. At 7 a.m. the Battalion managed to capture their first objective. Due to the marshy state of the ground the line proved to be impossible to consolidate. They chose to consolidate a line 50 yards in rear of the objective, where the ground was more suitable. They dug under very heavy fire. Battalion Headquarters were set up at Hamburg Farm, which became a principal target for the German artillery, making it hard to reach the Brigade Headquarters with runners about 1500 yards away. This is why carrier pigeons were used to maintain communications.
Soon the Battalion had only two officers left in the line. The 37th had suffered heavy casualties and the line became too thin to hold. The two officers collected the men, pulled back and took up a fresh position some hundred yards in the rear. Many wounded were lying about since the start of the attack and stretcher bearers were sent out to help the men unable to walk back to their lines. Private Daniel Joseph Hardy volunteered to help the stretcher bearers and even organized and controlled the other stretcher bearers. He was instrumental in having all the wounded in his area rapidly evacuated. The aid post was subjected to concentrations of artillery fire. Stretcher bearing over the water logged terrain, targeted by the German artillery, was an immensely arduous and hazardous task, and several stretcher bearers succumbed while helping the wounded. Private Daniel Joseph Hardy was one of the men who was killed in action while he fulfilled his duty as a stretcher bearer. Daniel Joseph Hardy was killed instantly by a shell about 8.30 a.m. in the area of Waterfields.
Sources 3
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37th Infantry Battalion (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/54) https://www.awm.gov.au/ Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, HARDY D J. https://www.awm.gov.au/ Sources used |
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McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account" (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), pg. 113-115. Sources used |
More information 4
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/463060 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=73353246-619f-4f96-bf46-b6c7c03d66e4 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7472469 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=126901 |