HANLEY, Henry Alfred
| Service Number: | 509 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 May 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 6th Machine Gun Company |
| Born: | Adelong, New South Wales, Australia, 1897 |
| Home Town: | Kurri Kurri, Cessnock, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Colliery wheeler |
| Memorials: | Pelaw Main Public School Memorial Gates |
World War 1 Service
| 3 May 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 509, 6th Machine Gun Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 509, 6th Machine Gun Company, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Medic embarkation_ship_number: A7 public_note: '' | |
| 16 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 509, 6th Machine Gun Company, HMAT Medic, Melbourne |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Henry ‘Harry’ Hanley was one of four brothers who enlisted in the AIF. Henry actually enlisted during August 1915 aged 18 but was had a few discipline problems and was kicked out of the AIF because “he was unlikely to make an efficient soldier.” He enlisted again during May 1916 and joined the 6th Machine Gun Company. He was wounded in action on 21 September 1917 with a gunshot wound to the scalp and evacuated soon after to England. He didn’t return to France until October 1918.
During March 1919, a British Private Iles, who couldn’t swim, fell into a deep canal near Charleroi in France. Harry Handley immediately dived in to rescue the soldier. The victim had disappeared under water twice and after a very long struggle, which almost cost Hanley his own life, he succeeded in bringing Iles to the bank of the canal.
Hanley was eventually awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, without pension, for his brave deed. He returned to Australia during July 1919.
Harry Hanley’s brother, 2137A Private Archibald Owen Featherstone Hanley 30th Battalion AIF, was killed in action 8 August 1918, age 23.
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