Remembrance Day has always had a special significance for Alex Hayward.

The 92-year old from Cape Woolamai said her family holds a heartbreaking record.

Her four uncles – Frank, Cyril, Edward and James Watherston, as well as their cousin Sidney were all killed in World War 1.

Alex said war historian Charles Bean told her “that was a record for an Australian family, but in England it was six brothers.”

Alex’s mother Christina was the youngest sister of the four brothers killed in the war. The siblings were all extremely close after the nine children were orphaned when their parents died in a boating accident.

Alex said Remembrance Day was always a special day in their family, although it was usually a private occasion.

“My mother had cards naming all the brothers and she and her sisters talked about them all the time. But I’m not sure they went to any of the official ceremonies.”

The story of the Watherston brothers caught the attention of historian Lee Clayton after he purchased two plaques at an auction near Port Lincoln in South Australia.

The WWI Supreme Sacrifice Plaques, also known as “Dead Man’s Pennies” were presented to relatives of soldiers, sailors and nurses killed in the war.

The ones purchased by Lee were for Cyril and Edward Watherston, and he eventually located all five Watherston plaques.

His research led him to Phillip Island in 2012/13 to meet with Alex.

Lee said Alex’s memories provided him with “a wealth of anecdotal family stories going back many decades”.

“Her knowledge and wit was extensive,” he wrote in the introduction to his book “Rising Sons – The Watherston Soldiers”, which documents the family’s war story.

A voice from the past

Alex Hayward still has a transcript of a letter written by her uncle Edward Waterston to his sister (Mrs S J Trestrail) describing the Gallipoli landing.

The letter was written from the Southern General Hospital in Birmingham, where he was recovering from his wounds.

Extracts from the letter are included below.

“As the moon was shining very brightly we had to wait until it was down and that was after 3 o’clock. By the way, each destroyer was towing six dinghies from the transport ships to take us ashore. About 4 o’clock or before we could see land and knew then there was something not far ahead for us to do. If you or anyone had seen us that night before we changed on the destroyer while we were on our own boats, they would never have thought we were going into action.

“They would have thought we were near Australia or going on furlough with a pocketful of money. We absolutely went mad. Singing, dancing and carrying on until the officers came down and stopped us and put out the lights. After we got on the destroyer it was perfect silence and no smoking. No lights to be shown on deck under any consideration. Of course we managed to sneak a few smokes by getting below in the sailors quarters.”

Private Watherston praised the work of the navy men who helped them ashore, saying they “were splendid. It’s impossible to say enough about them. They are absolute heroes.”

Filled with fervour he described the charge as “splendid”, describing the enemy as “very treacherous”. But his letter also capturing the mayhem, pain, hunger and fatigue of the troops, many who were mere boys. 

Describing being separated from his Company, with another soldier Percy Mackay, he said:

“In the advance we had got cut off from the other crowd. We stayed together until about 4 o’clock in the afternoon, shrapnel and bullets dropping around us like hailstones.

“At that time, we were with men from every battalion. I think MacKay got hit with shrapnel in his arm and as things were too hot to leave he decided to stay a while, but a short time afterwards he got a bullet in the heel. We stayed there for about half an hour after that, and up till then I had not been hit, but there was a shell burst about ten feet in front of us when a young chap from the 5th Battalion I think, got the most of it in the forehead. It made a ghastly wound, exposing his brains. He never lived long. I got part of it in the right buttock – only flesh, and a little later on a bullet through the over lapping sole of my boot and another through the heel of the boot.”

Despite his wounds, Private Watherston continued to fight.

“We got in the line with the 9th and stayed with them until the next evening at 5.30. 
"All that night we were kept awake and firing at intervals. We kept in readiness for a bayonet charge as it was thought the Turks might make a charge, but they did not, worse luck. 

"It was a remarkable thing that no one thought of eating or smoking. I had a few dry bits of biscuits which I had in my pocket and a mouthful of water.

“The next day was pretty quiet. On the left flank the Turks were making some very fierce attacks. The New Zealanders were there and they held out splendidly. It was splendid the way the Australians acted, not a man funked it and the young boys were like old and tried soldiers. There were many casualties on Sunday, nearly 2000 I think, but on Monday there were less. Tuesday was a very still day on some parts of the line, and the New Zealanders lost heavily.”

After a brief respite, that included rations and finally some sleep, it was back into battle.

“The 3rd brigade (the remains of the) about 300 men, had received orders to go back to the firing line and act in reserve … well, it happened while advancing up a wide gully where our artillery was, which had got into position the night before. The enemy were sweeping the gully with shell fire in search of our batteries. This was the fire which we had to advance under, and it was then that I got knocked.”

Soon after he was taken back to the beach and then onto a transport acting as a hospital ship, finally arriving at the hospital in Birmingham.

“I think in this hospital every regiment in the British army is represented. Most of the British troops are from France and some of their chaps have been out there for nine months. They can tell some stories. I am in hopes of being sent out there. There were a lot of chaps in here suffering from poisonous gases. That is a terrible thing as it affects the internals and finally reaches the heart and then “good night”.

“Well Syd, I can’t think of anything more at present. I hope to be able to write more later from experience if I get the chance.”

Lance Corporal Edward Watherstone was killed in action in France on July 23, 1916.