Ernest Alfred Hawkins

Ernest Alfred Hawkins was born on 24th February 1877 in Tintaldra, Victoria, to Charles Hawkins and Catherine Lucretia Maria, nee Rothwell.

On 3rd August 1915, he enlisted at Melbourne, Victoria. At the time, he was a single, 38-year-old butcher from Rutherglen, Victoria. He was allocated Regimental Number 1697 and placed in the 2nd Reinforcements for the 58th Battalion. Ernest gave his next of kin as his mother, Catherine Hawkins. After initial training, he embarked on HMAT A14 Euripides at Melbourne, Victoria, on 4th April 1916.

After arriving in Egypt, Ernest was transferred to the 57th Battalion on 24th May 1916 at Tel-el-Kabir, Egypt. The 57th Battalion was the ‘pup’ of the 5th Battalion, part of the doubling of the AIF that occurred after the Dardanelles Campaign. While on the Western Front, they fought in some of the major battles, including Fromelles, Villers-Bretonneux, and Polygon Wood. While on leave in England, Ernest married Lilian Amy Bacon in 1918 at the Wilton Church of England, Wiltshire, England. It’s not known how the two met.

On 15th November 1919, he and Lilian returned to Australia aboard HT Ormonde, with the rank of Corporal. He was discharged on 18th February 1920, and was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his service during the war.

The Hawkins family initially settled in Hume Street, Wodonga, with Ernest continuing his trade as a butcher. By 1921, they had moved to Corryong, where their four children were born. He died on 5th March 1933 at Corryong, Victoria and was buried in Corryong Cemetery.