Pte Joseph Hunt was an Englishman born and bred in Anstey, Leicestershire, England. He tried to enlist into the British Army, but was rejected on medical grounds. So he enlisted into the Australian Army on 20 Oct 1916 and was accepted which was met by disapproval by his parents who already had one of their sons enlisted into the British Army. He travelled to Australia to complete his basic training and returned with the AIF 23rd Reinforcements to the area of the Menin Road in Belgium. He was employed as a dispatch rider and runner, on 21 Sep 1917 he was delivering a message to the HQ Coy trench in Polygon Wood, when a German shell landed and exploded killing him and Pte Hendy Pooley instantly. They were buried together at Polygon Wood and after the war reinterred to Tyne Cot Cemetery, Pte Hendy Pooley has no known grave and next to Pte J Hunt’s grave is an Unknown Soldier. Joseph Hunt’s brother survived the war with the British Army and lived until he was 95 years old

Lee Pearn