Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Hector Swanson, my great grandfather (on mothers side) was not born in Australia but born in St. Andrews, Scotland in 1881, where he was raised. His exact DOB is not known at present. His father was a medical doctor by profession. Hector moved to London, England on an unknown date, and married Charlotte Hanwell in 1902. It is believed that they lived in East Molesey (then in the county of Surrey but now part of Greater London. They had three children, the first Janet Charlotte Swanson (my grandmother) born in 1904, Colin William Swanson born c1914, and a third child whose name is unknown, but who died in infancy. In 1914/15, they decided to emigrate to Australia to find a new life. Hector Swanson went on ahead of his family and found employment as a bank clerk in Brisbane with unknown bank. He also found a family home in Brisbane and was shortly after joined by his wife and children who travelled from England aboard the SS Orsova (Peninsula and Oriental Line) which took 6 weeks to complete. However, the Great War intervened their life as it did with many others, and decided to join the Australian Army. It is not clear whether he was conscripted or whether he volunteered, but would assume that it was the latter, as he was by then 33/34 years of age, married with three children. He became a medic in the 7th Field Ambulance and served on the western front. At some point he return to England probably for rest and recuperation, whilst there had his photograph taken at 'The New Zealand Studios' 54, Clarence Street, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey in the uniform of a Lance Corporal of the Australian Army. He returned to the western front and was wounded and spent time in hospital in Etaples. On 7th November 1917, he saved three wounded men whilst under heavy shell bombardment, at great personal risk to himself, and subsequently awarded the Military Medal. Unfortunately the war didn't end well for Hector as was the case for a lot of men who fought in that conflict. As it is understood, he was shot by a German sniper whilst attending to wounded men on the battlefield. His wife Charlotte had three children to support without the financial means to do so, and returned to live in England. As I understand it, she never really got over the death of her husband Hector, and subsequently died herself at the relatively young age of 53 years in 1935. This is a sad story of a couple who wanted to better their own lives and the lives of their children in Australia, which was cut short by the Great War. He volunteered to serve with the Australian Army as opposed to the British Army. He could have returned to England and enlisted with the British Army, but chose not to, because he wanted to serve his new country. He served as a medic with the 7th Field Ambulance, and as the case with most in that particular line of soldiering, putting the lives of others before his own, at great personal risk to himself. On 7th November 1917, he attended to, and removed three wounded soldiers to comparative safety under heavy bombardment on the battlefield, at great risk to himself, and was awarded the Military Medal. The citation for this act of bravery is repeated elsewhere. On the 2nd September 1918, Hector Swanson, sacrificed his own life in the service of his new found country, to save his wounded comrades on the battlefield. The end of a promising life. What a waste.