Herman Basil DENEHEY

DENEHEY, Herman Basil

    Service Number: 989
    Enlisted: 10 November 1915, Place of enlistment - Ross, Tasmania
    Last Rank: Sapper
    Last Unit: 3rd Tunnelling Company (inc. 6th Tunnelling Company)
    Born: Huon, Tasmania, September 1893
    Home Town: Huonville, Huon Valley, Tasmania
    Schooling: Not yet discovered
    Occupation: Miner
    Died: Died of wounds, France, 31 October 1918
    Cemetery: Fretin Communal Cemetery
    Grave 3,
    Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour
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    World War 1 Service

    10 Nov 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 989, Place of enlistment - Ross, Tasmania
    20 Feb 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Sapper, 989, Mining Corps, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, Embarked on HMAT 'A38' Ulysses from Sydney on 20th February 1916 arriving in Melbourne on 22nd February 1916. The troops were camped at Broadmeadows while additional stores and equipment were loaded. Departing Melbourne on 1st March 1916, Ulysses sailed to Fremantle, Western Australia. The ship hit a reef when leaving Fremantle harbour, The troops were off-loaded and sent to the Blackboy Hill Camp where further training was conducted. HMAT 'A38' Ulysses finally sailed on 1st April 1916. The ship arrived at Suez, Egypt on 22 April 1916, departing for Port Said the next day; then on to Alexandria. The Captain of the ship was reluctant to take Ulysses out of the Suez Canal because he felt the weight of the ship made it impossible to manoeuvre in the situation of a submarine attack. The troops were transhipped to B1 Ansonia for the final leg to Marseilles, France via Valetta, Malta. Arriving at Marseilles on 5th May 1916, most of the troops entrained for Hazebrouck where they arrived to set up their first camp on 8th May 1916.
    12 Jan 1917: Transferred AIF WW1, Sapper, 1st Anzac Entrenching Battalion
    23 Feb 1918: Transferred AIF WW1, Sapper, 3rd Tunnelling Company (inc. 6th Tunnelling Company)
    30 Oct 1918: Wounded AIF WW1, Sapper, 989, 3rd Tunnelling Company (inc. 6th Tunnelling Company), Breaching the Hindenburg Line - Cambrai / St Quentin Canal, On 30th October 1918 near Mortagne, Sapper Moran and a comrade were sent to investigate some buildings recently occupied by the enemy. Machine Guns and enemy snipers were very active, but the sappers reached their objective after crawling a considerable distance and completed the investigation. While returning Sapper Moran’s mate, 989 Sapper Herman Denehey, was so badly wounded that he could not crawl. Sapper Moran would not leave him and in great difficulty succeeded in carrying him back to safety although being fired at all the time by snipers and machine guns. Sapper Herman Denehey subsequently died from his wounds.

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    Biography contributed by Robert Kearney

    Enlisted and served under alias Peter Dunn

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