Rifleman Charles Gordon Hayward was born on 16 September 1885 in Hornsey, one of the eight children of Charles Hayward and Eliza Hayward née Fordham. His father was an accountant for the Standard Newspaper. He was baptised on 27 December 1885 at St Mary's Church, Hornsey and the baptismal register shows the family living at 22 Campsbourne Road, Hornsey.
The 1901 census shows him living at 45 Granville Road, Stroud Green, Hornsey, with his parents, two siblings: Grace Juliet Hayward (b.1883) and Muriel Eliza Hayward (b,1890), together with a female general domestic servant. From 26 January 1904 to January 1909 he was a Royal Academy Schools student and c.1910 he painted 'Indian Army Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers, 2nd Regiment of Cavalry, Punjab Frontier Force' that now hangs in the National Army Museum, London.
In the 1911 census he is shown as an artist (painter) living alone at 'The Cottage Studio' Redcliffe Road, South Kensington.
On the outbreak of World War One he enlisted in Chelsea as a Rifleman in the 18th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (London Irish Rifles) and his service number was 1736. When in 1917 territorial regiments were renumbered his service number became 590380. He was serving in 'D' Company of the 2nd/18th Battalion when he was killed in action, aged 32 years, on 23 December 1917 and was buried in Row T, Grave 33 in the Jerusalem War Cemetery, Churchill Boulevard, Jerusalem, Palestine, (now Israel).
His army effects totalling £21-1s-5d were sent by 3 July 1918 to his father who was living at 'Ashdown', Boreham Wood, Elstree, Hertfordshire. His father was also sent his £15-10s-0d war gratuity on 20 November 1919. He was posthumously awarded the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal and these were despatched to his father on 25 May 1921.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
