HANLON, William Thomas
| Service Number: | 905 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 30th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Nov 1915: | Involvement Corporal, 905, 30th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Beltana embarkation_ship_number: A72 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Nov 1915: | Embarked Corporal, 905, 30th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Beltana, Sydney |
Help us honour William Thomas Hanlon's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
William was awarded the MC (Military Cross) in 1918 – his citation reads as follows:
On the night 22nd/23rd June, 1918, during a raid on the enemy’s posts in the MORLANCOURT sector, S of ALBERT, this Officer was in charge of the right assault party, and handled his men with conspicuous gallantry, leading them quickly across the enemy position. Under his capable leadership, the party did much execution among the enemy, although meeting at several points with hand to hand opposition. Twelve of the enemy were killed and several prisoners were conducted towards our lines. The work which he did so thoroughly and promptly, coupled with his gallant leadership and initiative, were responsible for the success of the party, and for the lightness of the casualties.
William enlisted in Queensland in July 1915 into ‘D’ Company of the 30th Battalion – he was 25 years old and gave his occupation as ‘Draper’ By the time he embarked overseas on the 9th of November 1915 he had been promoted to Corporal.
After a short stop-over in Egypt (where he was promoted to Sergeant) William arrived in France with the 30th Battalion in June 1916 – in August he was Detached for Duty with the 5th Division School and in July 1917 he was transferred to England and posted as an Officer Cadet to a training school at Oxford. On the 31st of October 1917 he passed his training and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. In November he embarked for France and re-joined the 30th Battalion in the Field.
In January 1918 William was promoted to 1st Lieutenant – he remained with the Battalion for the remainder of the war (being awarded the MC for his actions in June 1918). He returned to Australia in 1919.
William also served in the Australian Army during the 2nd World War as a Captain in Number 11 Garrison Battalion – his service number was N60197.
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