HANNA, William Bertram
| Service Number: | 4424 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 October 1915, Billie was assigned to the 11th Reinforcements for the 26th Infantry Battalion. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 26th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Maclean, New South Wales, Australia, 1 August 1897 |
| Home Town: | Maclean, Clarence Valley, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Porter |
| Died: | Died of Wounds, Bapaume, France, 27 April 1917, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
Grevillers British Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Casino and District Memorial Hospital WW1 Roll of Honour, Coraki War Memorial, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Lawrence Public School WW1 Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Oct 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4424, 26th Infantry Battalion, Billie was assigned to the 11th Reinforcements for the 26th Infantry Battalion. | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 4424, 26th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of Victoria embarkation_ship_number: A16 public_note: '' | |
| 30 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 4424, 26th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Star of Victoria, Brisbane | |
| 5 Nov 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 4424, 26th Infantry Battalion, At Le Barque about 4 kilometres SW of Bapaume Billie received a gunshot wound to his right arm. He was evacuated to No. 1 Australia General Hospital at Rouen and then to England. He returned to France on 18 March 1917. | |
| 27 Apr 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 4424, 26th Infantry Battalion, Billie received a wound to his buttocks from a HE artillery shell on 27 April 1917 when near Bullecourt. He was evacuated to a Casualty Clearing Station just south of Bapaume where he died. |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Billie Hanna worked for the NSW Government Railways.
Hanna was, at least by his declaration on his Attestation Papers, born about September 1894 at Maclean, as he gave his age as 21 years and 1 month. This was a lie, presumably to avoid the need for parental consent, which was perhaps not available, as when he died in April 1917, he was still 19, and his parents ensured that his correct age was ultimately engraved on his headstone, as late as 1927. He was in fact born on 1 August 1897. At his enlistment in Lismore on 15th September 1915 he stated that he was not married and gave his father as his next of kin, though this was later changed to his mother, Jane, and further stated that he had served for a year and a half in the cadets.
He was wounded on a second occasion, this time with gunshot wounds to his buttocks, and died of those wounds at the 3rd Casualty Clearing Station on 27 April 1917 and was buried at Grevillers British Cemetery 1¾ miles W of Bapaume. He was 19-years-old.
Submitted 22 August 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by Greg Towner
From my research:
Billie was employed as a porter with the Railways. He was a tall lad particularly for that time at just over 6 feet, 185 cms. He was just 18 years and one month old when he enlisted but gave his age as 21 years and one month perhaps to avoid the need for parental approval.
After the war the original wooden cross that marked Billie's grave was returned to Maclean to "find a permanent resting place in St James Church of England" ('Clarence River Advocate', 28 May 1928, trove.nla.gov.au). There is no evidence of his cross in the church or the district now, and the suggestion from the church is that a previous Minister wished to dispose of 'unnecessary' possessions. As well as on the Maclean Cenotaph and the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Billie's name is on the NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board on display in the concourse area of Central Station, Sydney.
Biography contributed by John Oakes
William Bertram HANNA (4424) worked for the New South Wales Government Railways.
Hanna decared on his Attestation Papers to be born about September 1894 at Maclean, as he gave his age as 21 years and 1 month. This was a lie, presumably to avoid the need for parental consent, which was perhaps not available. When he died in April 1917, he was still 19, and his parents ensured that his correct age was ultimately engraved on his headstone, as late as 1927. He was in fact born on 1st August 1897. At his enlistment in Lismore on 15th September 1915 he stated that he was not married and gave his father as his next of kin, although this was later changed to his mother, Jane. He had served for a year and a half in the cadets.
He left Australia through Brisbane aboard HMAT ‘Star of Victoria’ on 30th March 1916. After further training in Egypt he embarked at Alexandria on 20th May aboard the Transport ‘Ivernia’ for passage through Marseilles to join the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front in France. He was almost immediately transferred to the 26th General Hospital with Influenza and was not taken on the strength of his Battalion until 2nd August 1916. He was wounded in action on 5th November with shrapnel to his arm and evacuated to England. It was not until 7th April 1917 that he was fit to re-join his unit in France.
He was wounded on a second occasion, this time with gunshot wounds to his buttocks, three weeks later and died of those wounds at the 3rd Casualty Clearing Station on 27th April 1917. He was buried at Grevillers British Cemetery 1¾ miles W of Bapaume. He was 19-years-old.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
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