DONEGAN, Herbert James
| Service Number: | 1646 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 January 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Toodyay, Western Australia, Australia, 16 September 1876 |
| Home Town: | Toodyay, Toodyay, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Telegraph linesman |
| Died: | Killed in action, Mouquet Farm, France, 3 September 1916, aged 39 years |
| Cemetery: |
Serre Road Cemetery No.1 Plot IX, Row C, Grave no. 28. DEEPLY MOURNED BY HIS SORROWING RELATIVES |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1646, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 1646, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1), Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
| 17 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 1646, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Aeneas, Fremantle |
Help us honour Herbert James Donegan's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Herbert Donegan died during the 51st Battalion’s attack on Mouquet Farm during early September 1916. He was listed as missing along with well over 180 men of his unit. Several companies of the 51st Battalion were trapped in the trenches beyond Mouquet Farm when the Germans launched heavy counter attacks on their flanks.
In his Red Cross wounded and missing file several soldiers stated they had seen him killed by a shell during the advance. One noted “he was our best cricketer”.
His remains were found during April 1923, along with other members of his unit, north of Mouquet Farm.
Herbert’s father had died in 1891. His mother, Charlotte Donegan was never aware of his remains being found and was unable to receive his identity disc as she passed away during 1923.
His brother, 804 Percy William Donegan was an original member of the 12th Battalion and was badly wounded at the Anzac Landing on 25 April 1915.
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