RASMUSSEN, Hans Peter
| Service Number: | 895 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 February 1915, Keswick, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Korsor, Denmark, 1890 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 4 August 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Sarina War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Feb 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 895, 27th Infantry Battalion, Keswick, Adelaide, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 May 1915: | Involvement Private, 895, 27th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 31 May 1915: | Embarked Private, 895, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Adelaide |
Help us honour Hans Peter Rasmussen's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College
Hans Peter Resummen was born in the year 1890 but The date is unknown. We do know however he embarked for World War I at the age of 24. Hans was an immigrant from Korosor Denmark, where he lived most of his childhood but moved to South Australia alone to join the war. Hans worked as a labourer, doing manual labour for hours a day. He was unmarried with no children, and had a dark complexion with brown eyes. He stood at 5 feet 7 inches tall (175.26cm) with a weight of 150 lbs (68kg). Hans's father was named L Peter Rasmussen. He also had a sister named Marie Jensen.
On 18 February 1915, at the age of 24 Hans enlisted in Keswick, South Australia to World War I. Keswick is where is completed his basic training as an infantryman. This includes learning how to use a rifle and how to properly kill. Hans Peter Ressumen was taken on strength by the 27th Battalion also known as “Unley's Own”. His journey to war began with a departure from Adelaide on the 31 of May 1915. Hans was farewelled with parades and an enthusiastic crowd. The ship he was on was called the ‘HMAT A2 Geelong’. During the war, Hans was an infantryman where he would fight in trench warfare.
The Battalion was bound for Egypt where he underwent further training. In September, the Battalion landed at Gallipoli. Hans fought with the Battalion until he was evacuated to Egypt along with the rest of the ANZAC force. In 1916 the AIF moved to France, and after a brief period in quiet sectors, went into major action at the battle of Pozières in late July.
On August 4th, 1916 Hans Peter was on the left flank of the 2nd Division attack trying to capture the heights above Pozieres. Hans advanced along with the Battalion through the 17th-century windmill, which has the dominant view of the surrounding areas. Hans captured it and held it in the face of surrounding unrelenting artillery fire and counterattacks. Hans along with the Battalion held them for a long time before Hans Peter Resummen was killed in action through the crossfire on the 4 of August 1916. On this day 40 were killed 289 were wounded and 67 were missing. Out of these 40 people who died on this day Hans was one of them.
Hans' body was not recovered. He has been recognized with 10,711 Australian casualties of the Western Front on the walls of the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.
Click images to start slideshow.