Stephen ‘Steenie’ Aloysius Seward

SEWARD, Stephen -‘Steenie’- Aloysius- – – SPC 1900-1906

DoB:- – 1892, Ballarat

Father:- – Stephen Seward, Craig’s Hotel, Ballarat

Mother:- – Mary Ellen -‘Nellie’, nee Kelleher

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Steenie was a boarder at St Patrick’s with his three brothers, Leo (SPC 1898-1903), Harrie Stephen (SPC 1897-1898), and Joseph Thomas -‘Tom’ Lawrence (SPC 1900-1904, 1910-1911). Leo did not enlist for service in WWI.

In the College Annual of 1916-1917, there was a touching tribute to Steenie and the Seward brothers –

-‘-¦ Pte Steenie Seward, the youngest of the Seward family, was always a favourite at the College. His goodness and innocence endeared him to all, and no one would imagine that gentle Steenie would one day play the part of the Khaki-clad warrior. Yet so it is. Many of our quiet easy-going Australians are just the men who have made the name and fame of Australia on the slopes of Gallipoli or the plains of Flanders.

Sad as it is to have our dear boys away exposed to the hardships and horrors of war, instead of living under the sunny peaceful skies of Australia, yet we must feel proud that they are so nobly doing their part in the hallowed cause of Right and Liberty -¦’

Service No:- 14580

Rank:- – Private

Unit:- – 11th Field Ambulance

Steenie Aloysius Seward enlisted on 25 April 1916, aged 24 years and four months. He was five feet, 11 and a half inches tall, with a dark complexion, dark grey eyes and black hair. He was a single man, whose occupation was farmer.

Private Seward embarked on 7 September 1916 aboard the Port Sydney, and disembarked at Plymouth, England on 29 October 1916. After some months of training at Folkestone, he proceeded overseas to France in April 1917. He was hospitalised in August in France, sick with myalgia. This ailment is most commonly due to the overuse or over-stretching of a muscle or group of muscles. It can often be due to viral infections. After three days in hospital, he was considered fit enough to rejoin his unit on 10 August 1917.

Private Seward returned to Australia aboard the Boonah on 20 April 1919. Although he was born in Ballarat, he was living in WA at the time of his enlistement, and it was back to that state that he settled on his return to Australia.

He married Mena Gladys in 1930 in Canning, and lived at Pingelly as a farmer for his entire life. Steenie Aloysius Seward died on 14 January 1982 aged 90 years. He was cremated and his ashes dispersed at Karrakatta Cemetery, WA.