William John Hayward, Chief Petty Officer (P/J 104496), was born in New Malden, Surrey on November 20th 1905. He was the son of Alfred Hayward, a labourer and his wife, Annie Agnes, née Chapman. In 1930, he married Ivy Gwendoline Honeywell, with whom he had a daughter.
William’s occupation before he enlisted in 1921 was given as “baker’s roundsman”. He rose to Chief Petty Officer in 1939, and joined HMS Dunedin on March 17th 1941. He was awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in 1938.