Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Written by Elena Hanson, great-great-granddaughter of Alfred’s eldest brother Charles

Alfred Walter Hanson was born in Semaphore, South Australia, on the 28th of May 1899 to Carl Oscar (Creer) Hanson (Chief Cook) and Kate Eliza Hanson (midwife). He was the youngest brother of Charles Ephraim Hanson, Karl Oscar Hanson, Rosa Alice Hanson, and Arthur Cecil Hanson (Service number 4187). He lived with his family on Robin Street, Semaphore. Alfred attended Le Fever’s Peninsula Public School. He was 5 ft 5 ½ with fair skin, blonde hair, and dark blue eyes. He weighed 58.5kg and his religion was Church of England.  Alfred worked as a Mill Hand.

Alfred enlisted at Port Adelaide, South Australia, on July 4, 1917 at the age of 18 and 2 months. From July to August 1917, Alfred completed medical, inoculations, vaccinations, and dental checks. He was then declared combat ready. He trained at Mitcham, Adelaide and then at Machine Gun Depots at Seymour and Bendigo in Victoria.

Alfred departed from Melbourne on HMAT Indarra on the 26th of November 1917, before arriving at Suez, Egypt on the 27th of December 1917.  He embarked from Port Said on Kashgar on the 9th of January 1918 before disembarking at Taranto in Italy on the 20th of January 1918. On the 24th of January 1918, Alfred was admitted to the hospital in Taranto due to illness, suffering from a fever, sore throat, cough, and congestion. After he recovered, he was transferred to training units in England at Codford Camp on the 14th of February. He continued training at the camp until he was moved into the 14th Training Battalion, and then to the Machine Gun Corps Depot in Grantham between the 11th and 23rd of  April.

On the 10th of June 1918, Alfred embarked for France from Southampton, arriving on the 12th of June at Camiers. He was posted to the 5th Machine Gun Battalion on the 16th of June, and then officially taken on strength on the 29th of June. While he was serving, he fought in the Western Front during the Hundred Days Offensive. Between the 8th and 11th of August 1918, the 5th Division (along with Alfred’s machine gunners) took part in the Battle of Amiens before advancing to the Somme/probing attacks in mid-late August. His final battle was the Battle of Mont St Quentin and Peronne from August 31st till his death. Before dawn on the 1st of September 1918, Alfred’s battalion was in position for the attack on Peronne. The Australian Infantry were ordered to capture the high ground around Mont St Quentin. The 5th Australian Machine Gun Battalion moved its Vickers into the exposed firing lines to support the advance. The fighting on this day was close, with the Germans desperately defending and pouring fire into the advancing Australians. Alfred and his fellow machine gunners were targeted because their guns were crucial in breaking up counterattacks and keeping the enemy in place. It was during this that Alfred was Killed in Action. Alfred was Killed in Action on the 1st of September 1918 in France during the Battle of Peronne (Second Battle of Somme) during the Australian advance.

Alfred’s service lasted 14 months. He was originally buried in an isolated grave, about 30 yards from Main Road, 1 ½ miles north-west of Peronne. He was then transferred to Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension, Peronne, Picardie, France. Alfred received the British War Medal, 1914/15 Star Medal, the Victory Medal, a memorial scroll, and a memorial plaque, which were all given to his next of kin (his mother), Kate Hanson. Alfred’s name is displayed at the Adelaide War National Memorial and the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour.