HANKIN, Frederick Bernard
| Service Number: | 4131 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 6 September 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 25th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Lewes, Sussex, England, 1892 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Beaudesert School, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, England |
| Occupation: | Gardener |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 5 August 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Serre Road Cemetery No.2 Beaumont Hamel, France Plot XXIX, Row B, Grave No.5 (Remains discovered 1929), Serre Road Cemetery No 2, Beaumont Hamel, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Sep 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4131, 25th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 4131, 25th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Commonwealth embarkation_ship_number: A73 public_note: '' | |
| 28 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 4131, 25th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Commonwealth, Brisbane |
Help us honour Frederick Bernard Hankin's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Frederick Bernard Hankin was a young Englishman who came out to Brisbane during 1912. He only joined the 25th Battalion in the field on the day before he was killed at Pozieres on 5 August 1916. Originally reported as missing, his death was not confirmed until 12 months later.
His remains were discovered during 1929, identified by letters found, addressed to 4131 PTE. F.B. HANKIN 25TH BN AIF, two photographs and a ring engraved “Fred-Lil”.
The following article appeared in the Dundee Evening Telegraph, 14th January 1930.
“MISSING SOLDIER MYSTERY. Body Found After 14 Years.
After a silence of nearly 14 years, Mr and Mrs Charles Hankin, of Heath, Bedfordshire, were informed of the finding and identification of the body of their elder son, Frederick, who was reported missing on August 5, 1916, after his first engagement with the Australian contingent in France. Articles in his possession which led to his identification were a gold ring on his finger bearing his name and the photograph of a girl living at Brisbane. These and several letters have been sent to his mother, who has been able to recognise the girl's photograph. The letters are legible parts. Mr and Mrs Hankin were formerly in business in High Street, Islington Their only other son, Robert, who joined the Bedfordshire Regiment, was reported missing in March, 1918.”
There is communication in his service file from 1930, in which the fiancée, (who had since remarried) claims the items, but the mother says argued that she had sole right to them.
Frederick’s younger brother, and only remaining son of Charles and Mary Hankin, 203211 Private Robert Hayes Hankin, 2nd/5th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment) was killed in action 21 March 1918, age 20 years.
Click images to start slideshow.