Sidney Edwin HAGGER

HAGGER, Sidney Edwin

Service Number: 182
Enlisted: Not yet discovered
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 41st Infantry Battalion
Born: Not yet discovered
Home Town: Charters Towers, Charters Towers, Queensland
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Not yet discovered
Died: Died of wounds, Belgium, 15 April 1917, age not yet discovered
Cemetery: Berks Cemetery Extension
Berks Cemetery Extension, Wallonie, Belgium
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Brisbane 41st Battalion Roll of Honour, Corinda Sherwood Shire Roll of Honor, Graceville War Memorial, Oxley War Memorial, Queenton State School Roll of Honour
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World War 1 Service

18 May 1916: Involvement Private, 182, 41st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Demosthenes embarkation_ship_number: A64 public_note: ''
18 May 1916: Embarked Private, 182, 41st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Demosthenes, Sydney

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Biography contributed by Faithe Jones

Sidney Hagger was born in Charters Towers and attended school there. At the time of his enlistment, his family had moved to Oxley where Sidney was employed as a carter.

Sidney enlisted on 17 Nov 1915 and was drafted into the 41st Battalion which was in camp at Bell’s Paddock, Enoggera. While in training, Sidney was charged with being “inattentive on parade and making a false statement” for which he received 48 hours Confined to Barracks. He was again on a charge when he overstayed home leave, prior to embarkation; this time he received 7 days CB and forfeiture of six days pay (the period he overstayed).

The 41st sailed from Sydney on 18 May 1916. Sidney was again in trouble on the transport, being charged with “breaking away from quarters at sea.” This time he was penalised 20 days pay and had to “make restitution of three shillings.”

After arriving in England and being sent to training, Sidney was again on a charge;        “Conduct prejudicial to the good order and discipline” and” Insolence to an NCO. He endured another seven days CB.

Sidney arrived in France on 29 November 1916, almost 12 months after enlistment and joined the 41st as a reinforcement. By April of 1917, the 41st was in the frontline at Ploegsteert (soldiers called it Plugstreet) just across the Belgian border from Armentieres in Northern France. Official documents record that Sidney Hagger died of wounds on 15 April 1917 .

The normal procedure followed when a soldier died was to contact the appropriate clergyman in the soldier’s home town, who would then inform the next of kin personally.

Sidney’s sister, in writing to seek more information about her brother’s death informed Base Records that in the case of Sidney,

the “notification sent to Minister of God, who calmly readdressed it to my mother. The shock was terrible as we did not even know that he was wounded.”

 His sister had perhaps assumed that Sidney was wounded in a hospital for some time and failed to recover. It is more likely that he was recovered from the battlefield by Field Ambulance stretcher but died at an Aid Post or Casualty Clearing Station within hours.

In February 1918, the Hagger family received Sidney’s personal effects: Letters, 8 fountain pens (one broken), wallet, badges, photos, coins and a ring. Sidney was buried in the Berks Cemetery extension in Flanders near Ploegsteert Wood. A photograph of his grave was sent to his parents in 1920 and his war medals were sent in 1922, by which time the family had left the Oxley district.

Courtesy of Ian Lang

Mango Hill

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