BLACKHAM, Henry Hamilton
| Service Number: | 1117 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st Stationary Hospital (AIF) |
| Born: | Port Wakefield, South Australia, 20 December 1891 |
| Home Town: | Semaphore, Port Adelaide Enfield, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | 25 May 1965, aged 73 years, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
North Road Cemetery, Nailsworth, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Adelaide South Australian Railways WW1 & WW2 Honour Boards, Kilburn Islington Railway Workshops Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 5 Dec 1914: | Involvement Private, 1117, 1st Stationary Hospital (AIF), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '23' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Kyarra embarkation_ship_number: A55 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Dec 1914: | Embarked Private, 1117, 1st Stationary Hospital (AIF), HMAT Kyarra, Melbourne |
Help us honour Henry Hamilton Blackham's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Adelaide Botanic High School
Henry Hamilton Blackham, who was known as "Harry" by family and friends, was born on 20 December 1881 in Port Wakefield. He was the son of Richard Spotswood Blackham and Ada Crooke Blackham, and was raised in a Baptist household alongside his siblings Eveline Estella, Blanche Mildred, Edith Kathleen, and Perrin Hamilton.
When he reached schooling age, Henry attended Semaphore High School. He worked as a Clerk with South Australian Railways leading up to his enlistment on 25 September 1914. He enlisted at the age of 23.
He embarked 15 December 1914 with the No 1 Stationary Hospital which provided medical care and support for the thousands of wounded and sick soldiers. Blackham served at Depot in Tidworth, England with the Australian Army Medical Corp. He rose through the ranks to Honourary Lieutenant attached to the Assistant Director of Medical Services in the UK.
Henry returned home to Australia on 30 October 1919, having served his country for nearly the entire duration of World War I, a period of over five years. The war brought Henry many challenges and personal losses, including the death of his younger brother, Perrin Hamilton Blackham, who served in the 27th Battalion and was tragically killed in France on 7 November 1916.
Harry returned to Adelaide and married Pauline Myrtle in 1926. During WW2 Harry served as a Captain in New Guinea at the 10th Casualty Clearing Station.
He died on 25 May 1965 at the age of 73 and was buried at North Road Cemetery, where his wife later joined him after her death in 1969.