Historical information
Copies of photos of the No 1 Australian Auxiliary Hospital set up in the ground of Harefield Park during the first World War. They were wooden huts. Also the graves of the deceased soldiers in the Australian Military Cemetery in 1919 in Harefield's St Mary's churchyard. Plus two photos of the Mansion at Harefield one in 1917 and one from 1927. Harefield Park was owned by Australian couple, Letitia Billyard-Leake (born Letitia Leake) and her husband Charles Billyard and their 4 children. The family donated their property, Harefield Park, to the Australian Government for use as an Australian-run hospital. The family moved off the property and lived nearby to help run the hospital. Letitia and her daughter, also named Letitia, ran the canteen while Charles Billyard organised activities and was a hospital board member. (from research from Carol Grbich and John Berger).
During World War 1 the Australian Auxiliary Hospital No.1 was stationed at Harefield Park in Harefield, UxBridge, Middlesex UK. 111 Australian soldiers and one nurse from the hospital are buried at St Mary's Church, Harefield. This became an Australian Military Cemetery with individual headstones and an obelisk and arch. The headstones which are of a scroll design unique amongst Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries were chosen by the staff and patients at the hospital. The arch was erected by the CWGC. Anzac Day services are held there and the local school became involved with the headmaster, Mr Jefferies, bringing the school children to lay flowers on every grave and attend the service on Anzac Day. This started in 1921 and has continued until at least 2021.
One school child who attended was Mr Alf Young, he made contact with Legacy in the 1990s and sent photos of the Anzac Day Services and the cemetery. Legacy responded by sending Australian flags for the school children and also Legatee John Cohen met with Mr Young when in London. Melbourne Legacy staff member Susie Howard also visited Mr Young and the cemetery in 1995.
Mr Young provided historical photos and information of the area to Legacy. He was featured in the widows' newsletter The Answer many times and his death was announced in The Answer in April 1997, he was 85.
Many of the photos he provided were labelled as coming from Mr R G Neil, Photographic historian from Harefield. He holds copyright over those photos.
Significance
A record that Legacy helped support remembrance of Anzac Day and World War 1 soldiers buried in the UK.
Physical description
Black and white photos x 4 of the Harefield Hospital and area from 1917 to 1927.
Inscriptions & markings
02067.1 Printed on front 'Australian Auxiliary Hospital, Harefield No 1. 1914-1918'. Handwritten on reverse 'Harefield Park 1917'. Handwritten label 'Hospital as it was 1916-1918'.
02067.2 Handwritten on the reverse 'Part of the old Australian cemetery 1919'. Handwritten label 'The grave on the left "Private Wake" was the first grave in the cemetery'.
02067.3 Printed on the front 'The Lake, Australian Hospital Harefield Park, Mdx.' Handwritten on reverse 'Harefield Park 1917'. Handwritten label 'The lake in front of the mansion 1917'.
02067.4 Printed on the front 'Harefield Park' and 'Coles Watford'. Handwritten on reverse 'The Mansion, 1927 Harefield Park'.
All four have a sticker of Mr RG Neil, the photograph historian that provided the reprint.
References
- Why Harefield commemorates Anzac Day
- Letitia Leake used $40m inheritance to help 50,000 wounded Anzacs during WWI Research by historians, Carol Grbich and John Berger on the life of Letitia Leake.
