PROMOTING THE HISTORY AND ARCHIVES OF MT COMPASS
Haywood, George
George Wilfred Haywood (Private)
George was born at Loxton, South Australia on 9th March 1917, the sixth child of 12 born to George Henry Haywood & Eva Lee Haywood (nee Merrett). The family moved to Mt Compass in 1924, purchasing a property at Nangkita (Sections 361 & 362) when George was seven years of age. This land is alongside the old Methodist Church on Nangkita Road.
George attended the Renmark and Nangkita Public Schools until completing his final year of schooling in 1930 at Mt Compass. He left in March of 1931 as an ’over-age’ student upon turning 14.
George worked as a farm labourer and horse breaker prior to enlisting with the 2nd AIF in 1940, where he served in the 2/48 Battalion. On his Service Record he is recorded as being single, a Methodist, 5’7½” tall (1.71 metres) with brown hair and brown eyes. He also signed up on the same day his good friend from Mt Compass, Hurtle Pittaway also enlisted.
George & Hurtle completed their basic training at Woodside, after which they were separated with George posted to go overseas and Hurtle remaining to defend Australia.
In November 1940, Private George Haywood embarked on the “Stratheden” at Outer Harbour, heading for the Middle East with approximately 3,000 troops onboard.
He served in Libya, including over seven months in Tobruk and then Syria, along with his brother Les, who had also enlisted and was in the same Batallion. It was reported in ‘TheNews’ newspaper that George’s voice was one of those broadcast back home to Australia, for Christmas in 1941, via ABC radio. It is hoped that his parents heard this broadcast - the final time they would get to hear their son speak.
It was on October 27th 1942, during a Battle at El Alamein in Egypt, that George Haywood paid the supreme sacrifice. Some years later, a returned soldier was teaching morse code at a scouting event and met George’s nephew Gilbert Haywood, who was one of the Boy Scouts there.
This soldier was able to tell Gilbert about how he had been fighting alongside George Haywood the night he died. They were part of a forward search party and it was a sniper that shot George in the stomach, which caused his death within about two minutes. When his mates saw the muzzle flash coming from a tree and then saw George fall, they all opened fire on that tree until there was not a single leaf left on it. He went on to say, “You’ll be glad to know, we got him”.
A year on from his death, George’s parents inserted the following words in the Advertiser’s Family Notices:
“Some day we’ll understand”
George is buried in the El Alamein War Cemetery, Egypt.
His older brother Les, signed up one month after George’s enlistment and also served as one of the ‘Rats of Tobruk’ and at El Alamein. Les was discharged in the year following his brother’s death with the official reason listed as “Return to Industry (Rural)”.
References: RSL records held in Mt Compass Archives, School Registers held by State Records of SA, NAA Service Records, transcript of Leonie Macrow’s 2021 Anzac Day speech, trove.nla.gov.au and the “James Smith & Henry Twining Family History” by Lionel Merrett.
*The Mt Compass Archives has a digital copy of a book compiled by Leonie Macrow which details George and Les Haywood’s complete war records along with many photographs, which is available for viewing.
