HANNA, Samuel James
| Service Number: | 114 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 December 1915, Enlisted at Newcastle. |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 35th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Belfast, Ireland, 25 August 1889 |
| Home Town: | Wickham, Newcastle, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Shunter |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 7 April 1918, aged 28 years |
| Cemetery: |
Ste. Marie Cemetery, Le Havre |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Dec 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 114, 35th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Newcastle. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 May 1916: | Involvement Private, 114, 35th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Benalla embarkation_ship_number: A24 public_note: '' | |
| 1 May 1916: | Embarked Private, 114, 35th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Benalla, Sydney | |
| 4 Apr 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Corporal, 114, 35th Infantry Battalion, Villers-Bretonneux, Gunshot wound to his right shoulder. Died of his wounds three days later. | |
| 7 Apr 1918: | Involvement Corporal, 114, 35th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 114 awm_unit: 35th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1918-04-07 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Samuel James HANNA, (Service Number 114) was born on 25 August 1889 in Belfast, Ireland. He first worked for the NSWGR as a porter in the Newcastle District from March 1913. A year later he had become a shunter and it was from this role that he was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces on 19 January 1916.
He enlisted at Newcastle on 22 December 1915, so his leave from the Railways was apparently an endorsement of something that was already fait accomplit. At the time he was married, to Rosetta.
He was wounded on a third occasion, this time a gunshot wound to his right shoulder, on 4 April at Villers-Bretonneux and died of these wounds three days later at the 2nd General Hospital.
He was buried in the Cemetery Ste Marie, Le Havre, by Rev J Campbell.
Submitted 22 August 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Samuel James HANNA (Service Number 114) was born on 25th August 1889 in Belfast, Ireland. He first worked for the NSW Government Railways as a porter in the Newcastle District from March 1913. A year later he had become a shunter and it was from this role that he was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces on 19th January 1916.
He enlisted at Newcastle on 22nd December 1915.
At the time he was married to Rosetta. He was allotted to the 35th Battalion and left Australia from Sydney onboard HMAT ‘Benalla’ on 1st May 1916, arriving in Plymouth on 9th July. He was transferred to the Trench Mortar Section at Larkhill. He was hospitalised in August with Venereal Disease.
He was appointed Lance Corporal in January 1917 and then Corporal in June. He received a minor shrapnel wound to his back soon after this but returned to the line in a couple of days. Hanna was promoted to Temporary Sergeant ten days later. He was wounded on a second occasion with a gunshot injury to his left arm. This was a more serious injury and it took transfer to several hospitals in France and a month’s recuperation before he re-joined his unit. At this time, he relinquished his rank at his own request. His arm wound flared up and he was admitted to hospital and did not return to the front until October.
He was again promoted to Temporary Corporal and given leave in England in March 1918.
He was wounded on a third occasion, this time a gunshot wound to his right shoulder, on 4th April 1918 at Villers-Bretonneux. he died of these wounds three days later at the 2nd General Hospital.
He was buried in the Cemetery Ste Marie, Le Havre, by Rev J Campbell.
- based on notes for the GreatSydney Central Station Honour Board