Hummerston, Richard (Dick)

1328 Private Richard Goldsmith Hummerston - 10th Light Horse Regiment & 3rd Light Horse Machine Gun Squadron

Richard Goldsmith Hummerston was born in Perth WA in 1892 to Richard and Catherine Hummerston. He had three younger siblings, Harold (1897), Annie (1899) and Leonard (1901).

Richard lived much of his early life in Northam and spent nearly two years in the 18th Australian Light Horse Regiment of the Citizens Military Forces.

He then moved to the Kimberley's where he worked as a stockman for a few years, but had then moved down to Fremantle prior to his enlistment. His father who was his next of kin, also had his address as c/o the P&O Hotel in Fremantle.

Richard enlisted in the Australian Light Horse on July 7th, 1915, and due to having previous service in the Light Horse and as a stockman on a cattle station in the Kimberley’s he had very good riding skills and was assigned to the 10th Light Horse Regiment.

The medical examiner recorded Richard's physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 7 & 1/2 inches tall;

Weight - 132lbs;

Chest Measurement - 33-35 inches;

Complexion - Dark;

Eyes - Green;

Hair - Brown.

After his successful enlistment Richard was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to the 10th Reinforcements to the 10th Light Horse Regiment.

He trained with this group in WA until the 13th October 1915 when they boarded the transport ship HMAT Themistocles in Fremantle Harbour and set sail for the Middle East. After arriving in Egypt Richard and his group were sent to the 3rd Light Horse Training Regiment.

The 10th Light Horse returned to Egypt from Gallipoli in December 1915 after which Richard was taken on strength. Richard served with the 10th Light Horse Regiment until the 23rd July 1916 when he was transferred to the 3rd Light Horse Machine Gun Squadron.

Richard served at the actions at Romani in August 1916 and Magdhaba in December 1916 and Rafa in January 1917.

Photo below from the Australian War Memorial shows Richard at his Machine Gun in the Sinai desert.

After the actions at Romani and Magdhaba in 1916 the Turkish forces began to pull back towards their strongly fortified positions at Gaza. The British and ANZAC forces followed them up and by April 1917 were in a position to attack Gaza. 

While serving with the 3rd Light Horse Machine Gun Squadron at Gaza, Richard was hit by shrapnel through his right leg, causing a severe injury to his knee.

After treatment at the 3rd Light Horse Field Ambulance, Richard was sent further back to No.2 Australian Stationary Hospital at El Arish. He had a few days there and was then sent on Hospital train to Cairo where he was admitted to No.14 Australian General Hospital.

It was while at this hospital that Richard had a photo taken with a few mates and Nurse Crohan from Fremantle (below) Richard on right.

Richard remained at No.14 Australian General Hospital from 24th April till 11th November 1917. As his wound was incapacitating it was decided to send Richard back home. On the 12th November 1917 he boarded the transport ship Wiltshire and returned to Australia. The ship bypassed Western Australia so Richard disembarked in Melbourne on the 17th December 1917 and subsequently made his way back to WA overland.

Richard was discharged from the AIF on the 6th June 1918.

In 1920 in Northam he married Myra Thackrah and they had at least two sons, Edwin and Peter, who both served in the Air Force in World War 2. For a while they lived in Mundijong but then returned to the City living in North Perth and Inglewood.

Richard also enlisted in the Citizen Military Force in World War 2, (W20604) despite having lost his left hand in an accident cutting wood with a circular saw in his box factory. 

He served with the 10th Light Horse Regiment in 1940-41, before transferring to the Western Command Canteen Service. From 1943 to 1945 Richard saw further service with the 1st Bn Volunteer Defence Corps where he had the rank of Staff Sergeant.

After World War Two, Richard and Myra lived in Maylands though unfortunately she passed away in 1955. In 1964 he re-married to Stella Bayliss.

Richard died on November 3rd 1976 at Tuart Hill in Western Australia. He was eighty-one years old.