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Edward Leslie HOOD
| Rank | Reg/Ser No | DOB | Enlisted | Discharge/Death | Board |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pte | 804 | 24y6m | 29 Dec 1914 | 25 Oct 1916 D Disease | 4 |
Private Edward Leslie Hood (1889 – 1934)
Edward Leslie Hood was born at Burenda Station, Augathella, Western Queensland on 8 July 1889, son of William Walter Hood and Mary Jane née Scales.
Family background
Edward's father, William Walter Hood, was a Pastoralist in western Queensland like the Cameron and the Crombie Families whose sons are also listed on the Honour Boards. Edward’s father, was born at Berwickshire in Scotland, came to Australia with his parents in 1854 and was educated at Geelong Grammar School. He married Mary Jane Scales in 1868. After some years at Ararat in Victoria he was appointed General Manager of the Western Queensland Pastoral Company which owned several station properties, one of them Burenda where he and his family of six girls and five boys lived. Mr and Mrs Hood and family came to Brisbane in 1895.
Mr William W. Hood was the member for Warrego in the Legislative Assembly succeeding James Crombie and was afterwards a member of the Legislative Council. Mrs Mary Jane Hood died in 1902.
Mr William W. Hood acquired Huntingtower at Dudley Street, Annerley in 1905 and remained there with his children till his death in 1920. Mr W. W. Hood was director of several pastoral companies and manager for Birt and Co. Ltd, a firm which was connected with export, shipping and various branches of commerce. He was director of Queensland Trustees and Chairman of the Queensland Turf Club.
Hood Brothers began war service together
The names of Edward Leslie Hood and William Frederick Hood are together on the first honour board unveiled at Saint Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on 10 October 1915. The brothers enrolled together to serve in the war, left Brisbane together on the same ship and served together at Gallipoli. Their ways parted after that. For different reasons both returned to Australia before the Great War was over.
Education and working life
Edward attended Brisbane Grammar School from July 1904 to June 1908. Soon afterwards he was working on Darr River Downs, a large sheep station comprising some 704,000 acres (284,900 hectares). Situated to the west of Darr River northeast of Morella on the Landsborough Highway, Darr River Downs is now listed in the Queensland Heritage Register. The property consisting of homestead, office and saddle room, store, woolshed, woolscour ruins and cemetery is significant for its importance in demonstrating the evolution of the pastoral industry in Queensland.
Enlistment and service
Edward Hood had become the station overseer at Darr River Downs when at the age of 25 years six months, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force to serve overseas in the Great War.
Private Hood, Regimental Number 804, was allotted to Reinforcements for the 5th Light Horse Regiment on 29 December 1914 at Enoggera Camp. His unit embarked from Brisbane on HMAT1 Itria on 9 February 1915, bound for Egypt. The Light Horse Camp was at Maadi near Cairo where training took place. As mounted troops were considered unsuitable for work in Gallipoli, the Light Horse operated there as infantry after landing on 20 May 1915. The Regiment was deployed on defensive activities only and remained till the evacuation on 20 December. Private Edward Hood however was withdrawn on 24 September, returned to Heliopolis and admitted to the 1st Auxiliary Hospital with dysentery.
He was discharged to duty after three weeks but was readmitted to hospital at Ghezireh at the end of October 1915 with febricula (fever) and influenza. By 26 February 1916, Private Hood was well enough to return to duty at Maadi Camp thence to Serapeum. At this time the re-organised 5th Light Horse Regiment became a foundation member of the ANZAC Mounted Division. On 28 February 1916, the 5th Light Horse Regiment moved to join its parent brigade, the 2nd Light Horse Brigade, which was taking part in the defence of the Suez Canal. The work was hot and monotonous. They remained there until moved to the Romani region to bolster the defence of that area.
The 2nd Light Horse Brigade later played an important role in beating back the Turkish invasion of the Suez Canal zone at Romani but sickness again intervened while Private Hood was on duty at Dueidar on 21 July 1916. He was taken to hospitals at Port Said and later Abassia where it was discovered he was suffering with pulmonary tuberculosis.
He was immediately invalided and returned to Australia per the hospital ship Ascanius from Suez to Melbourne where he was discharged on 25 October 1916. He received the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal for his services in the AIF.
Post war
Edward Hood was able to return to employment by 1919 when he was a stock and station agent at Hughenden. On 1 July 1925 he married Doris Wynne Jones of Bundaberg in Holy Trinity Church, Blackall. The couple settled at Paradise Downs where Edward Hood was station manager. With his wife and family he moved in 1930 to the town of Blackall where he was employed by the District Improvement Board and later by the Blackall Shire Council.
Passing
Edward Leslie Hood died at Blackall on 16 September 1934 aged 45 years. Mrs Wynne Hood remained in Blackall where she worked as secretary of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Blackall Branch of the RSSAILA2. Mrs Hood died in Brisbane in 1976.
Compiled by Noel E. Adsett, Brisbane, August 2016. Images and additions by Miriam King 2023 ©
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