  For Wilson and clover fermions traditional formulations of the axial vector
current do not respect the continuum Ward identity which relates the divergence
of that current to the pseudoscalar density. Here we propose to use a
point-split or one-link axial vector current whose divergence exactly satisfies
a lattice Ward identity, involving the pseudoscalar density and a number of
irrelevant operators. We check in one-loop lattice perturbation theory with
SLiNC fermion and gauge plaquette action that this is indeed the case including
order $O(a)$ effects. Including these operators the axial Ward identity remains
renormalisation invariant. First preliminary results of a nonperturbative check
of the Ward identity are also presented.
