HUMMERSTON, Reginald Arthur

Reginald Arthur Hummerston was born on 7 August 1888 in Waverley, New South Wales, the son of Sophia, nee Wilson and Arthur Hummerston. He was baptised at St. Matthias Anglican Church, Centennial Park, NSW, and became the eldest of four brothers, Albert, Stanley and Cecil. He married Florence Edith Elizabeth Stanger in 1912 in Broome, Western Australia. The couple were to have two children during their marriage, Dorothy in 1913 and Eric in 1915. 

In thre pre-war years, Reginald Hummerston was a policeman, serving at Melbourne in 1909, then at the Police Barracks in Perth in 1916. He enlisted for the war on 1 March, 1917, and must have seemed like an ideal recruit: five feet ten inches tall, 28 years old,  with police training and perfect health. He was placed in the 1st Machine Gun Squadron and was placed in training at the Machine Gun Depot, probably at Marybynong and given the rank of Trooper. On 2 November, 1917, he embarked for Egypt. 

The 1st Machine Gun Squadron had been formed in 1916, as preparations were made to transfer the bulk of the AIF to France. Twenty Companies and four Squadrons were established for service with the Australian Light Horse in Egypt and Palestine. Each squadron was equipped with twentry machine guns for service with the Light Horse in the Sinai and Palestine campaigns. Each Squadron was matched to a Light Horse Brigade. Reg. Hummerston's 1st Machine Gun Squadron would have been with the 1st Light Horse Brigade.

In February, 1918, the 1st Light Horse Brigade took part in the successful capture of the City of Jericho, the the failed First Battle of Amman. This was followed in April by an attack on Es Salt (Second Battle of Jordan), a victory for the allies, but followed with a strong attack forcing a retreat, by the Ottoman Forces. It would have been at some time during this conflict that Reginald Hummerston was wounded, with a  machine gunshot wound to his left wrist on '31st March at Es Salt'. The doctor at the Australian General Hospital at Moascar reporting on his recovery noted that 'the hand is fixed in a faulty position and almost immoveable'. He was offered an operation to try and re-set the wrist, but 'the patient refuses to have an anaesthetic on the plea that it might injure him'. 

On 27 September, 1918, he was again laid low, this time with influenza. he reported his symptons as ' headache, general pain, shivering attacks with vomiting and says he has delerium.' On 2 October, he was taken to the 33rd Casualty Clearing Station, where it was recorded that he was 'at present very weak and says he has lost 2 1/2 stone.' on 10 December, he marched in to Moascar to undergo aan assessment. He was classified as B2 by the registrar, and the decision was made to return him to Australia.

Reginald Hummerston left Egypt for Australia on P.T. Sydney, and was discharged from further military service. In 1922, he was living at Moonee Ponds, Victoria with his wife and children, and working as an advertising agent. In 1924, they were still at Moonee Ponds, but he now characterised himself as an author. He died in Perth, Western Australia, in 1925, aged 37.