Not Forgotten,2372 Private Maitland Hazel MAITLAND, 43 Battalion AIF, World War 1

Private Maitland Hazel Maitland was born in New South Wales the son of Harry Hazel and Annie Marian Maitland who, at the time of Maitland’s enlistment lived at Korrelocking. Maitland enlisted at Fremantle on 22 May 1916 aged 21, leaving his brother James Hazel Maitland on the farm, and listing his occupation as farm labourer. He joined the 43rd Battalion and spent 4 days in hospital with influenza in September of 1916. He left Fremantle on the Port Melbourne bound for England on 30 October 1916, arriving in England on 28 December.
April 1917 saw Maitland crossing over to France and taken on strength with the 43rd Battalion. The 3rd Division was raised in Australia early in 1916 and the 43rd Battalion was part of that division and along with the 41st, 42nd, and 44th Battalions, with support troops it formed the 11th Brigade. The 43rd Battalion arrived on the Western Front in late December and spent 1917 bogged in bloody trench warfare in Flanders. In June the battalion took part in the battle of Messines, a successful assault on a strongly held strategic position that the Germans had held since late 1914. The attack was preceded by the detonation of 19 mines under the German front line and British, Australian and New Zealand infantry advanced behind a carefully coordinated artillery bombardment.
In October the 43rd Battalion was involved in the Third Battle of Ypres, a major offensive planned to break though the strongly fortified German defences enclosing the Ypres salient with the intention of sweeping through to the German submarine bases on the Belgian coast. Frequent rain and the destruction of the drainage system by bombardment meant this was a series of limited and costly offensives in difficult waterlogged conditions, including the battles of Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle and Passchendaele. Despite heavy losses, no breakthrough was achieved. After this Private Maitland had a week’s leave in Paris in February of 1918 and leave in England in March 1918.
The battalion spent much of 1918 fighting in the Somme valley. In April they helped stop the German Spring offensive at Villers-Bretonneux. Private Maitland was wounded in May 1918 but returned to active service. In July the battalion was part of General Monash’s attack at Hamel where British Mark V tanks and very accurate artillery barrages meant the Australians, with American troops,quickly overran the German positions. In August and September the battalion helped drive the Germans back to the Hindenburg Line and Maitland Maitland was wounded again on 22 August 1918, this time in the abdomen. He died of his wounds on that day. Maitland’s file indicates that he was buried at Sailly- Laurette Military Cemetery, then reinterred at Vaux-sur-Somme Cemetery and finally reinterred in Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery.
Private Maitland was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. His name is also listed on the Wyalkatchem War Memorial.