MCMANUS, Samuel
| Service Number: | 2719 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 60th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1895 |
| Home Town: | South Melbourne, Port Phillip, Victoria |
| Schooling: | St Peter & Paul School, South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Milk Carter |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 19 July 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2719, Depot Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 2719, 22nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '14' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ulysses embarkation_ship_number: A38 public_note: '' | |
| 27 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 2719, 22nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ulysses, Melbourne | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement Private, 2719, 60th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2719 awm_unit: 60th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-07-19 | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement 60th Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Samuel Paul McManus was age 21 when he died; he was the husband of Violet May McManus, of 39, Finlay St., Albert Park, Victoria. Samuel was married on the 5 October 1915, 10 days before he embarked. He never met his son who was born on 15 June 1916. His son Samuel James Anzac McManus was barely a month old when his father died.
Samuel had worked as a milk carter before the war. He did enlist in January 1915, by lying about his age, but was found to be underage and was discharged in April 1915. His mother had written to the authorities as he had enlisted against her wishes. He enlisted again in July 1915, by fibbing a bit about his age.
A witness in his Red Cross file 2950 Pte. A.Morgan stated that “I knew McManus well. He was a friend of mine. He came from Melbourne. His name was “Sam” and his number was 2819. On the 19th July at Fleurbaix, we went over the parapet together in the 4th wave. I was wounded first, in the arm, and McManus was wounded through the lung by a machine gun bullet. We lay down together in a shell hole for 30 hours, when the S.B. came up and took charge of us. McManus died in the hospital.”
There is no record of McManus making it to a hospital, nor any record of his body being buried.
As a footnote to this sad story, his son, Samuel James Anzac McManus, died as a prisoner of war of the Japanese on 27 March 1945. Lance Sergeant McManus, was a member of the 4th Anti Tank Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery. He was one of over 2000 Allied prisoners of war (POW) held in the Sandakan POW camp in north Borneo, having been transferred there from Singapore as a part of B Force. The 1494 POW's that made up B Force, were transported from Changi on 7 July 1942 on board the tramp ship Ubi Maru, arriving in Sandakan Harbour on 18 July 1942. VX32003 Lance Sergeant McManus, aged 28, was the son of Samuel Paul and Violet May McManus, of Toorak, Victoria.
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