HENNESSY, John Albert
| Service Number: | 902 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 36th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Nymagee, New South Wales, Australia, 1 May 1886 |
| Home Town: | Nymagee, Cobar, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 7 June 1917, aged 31 years |
| Cemetery: |
Toronto Avenue Cemetery, Ploegsteert Wood Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 13 May 1916: | Involvement Private, 902, 36th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Beltana embarkation_ship_number: A72 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 May 1916: | Embarked Private, 902, 36th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Beltana, Sydney |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
John Albert HENNESSY (Service Number 902) was born on 1st May 1886 at Nymagee NSW. He was casually employed as a tram conductor in Sydney from 18th December 1909 and was still in this role on 6th January 1916 when he was released from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces. He enlisted at Liverpool. He was unmarried, named his brother as his next of kin and claimed six months’ service with the Militia Reserve Rifles.
He left Australia from Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Beltana’ on 13th May 1916 and reached Plymouth on 9th July. In October he was admitted to the Military Hospital Bulford with venereal disease. His period of treatment was unusually short at only 18 days.
Hennessy was a cornet player in the Battalion band.
On 22nd November 1916 he went to France and was taken on the strength of the 36th Australian Infantry Battalion in Belgium
He was killed in action on 7th June 1917. On that day he was acting as a stretcher bearer and was proceeding forward to retrieve wounded men. He reached a place called Dead Horse Corner when a shell burst nearby and killed him instantly.
He was buried in the Toronto Avenue Cemetery, Ploegsteert, Wallonie, Belgium.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.