ROGERS, Hubert Henry Saunders
| Service Number: | 3244 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 56th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Lewisham, New South Wales, Australia, 22 March 1897 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Tram Cleaner |
| Died: | Wounds, France, 25 July 1916, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
Estaires Communal Cemetery and Extension, France |
| Memorials: | Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Dec 1915: | Involvement Private, 3244, 20th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1915: | Embarked Private, 3244, 20th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suevic, Sydney | |
| 24 Jul 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 3244, 56th Infantry Battalion, Died of his wounds the next day at the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
Hubert Henry Saunders ROGERS (Service Number 3244) was born on 22nd March 1897 at Lewisham. He was working as a cleaner of electric trams in Sydney from 2nd December 1914. On 12th September 1915 he was released from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces, but he had already enlisted at Holdsworthy (now Holsworthy) a couple of weeks before. He was not married, and his parents were dead, so he gave his guardian whom he described as his uncle, William H Holden of Petersham, as his next of kin. Since Rogers was underage, he needed parental consent to enlist, and Holden gave this in a surviving note, describing the boy as his ‘ward’. The young man also claimed four years military experience in the Junior Cadets and six months with the Senior Cadets where he was still serving.
He was initially allotted to the 20th Australian Infantry Battalion. He embarked HMAT ‘Suevic’ at Sydney on 20th December 1915. When he reached Egypt in February 1916, he was transferred to the 56th Battalion and taken on strength at Tel-el-Kebir. After some months further training, he embarked HT ‘Huntsend’ at Alexandria to proceed to France to join the British Expeditionary Force. He reached Marseilles on 29th June.
was wounded in action only a few weeks later on 24th July 1916. He died of his wounds the next day, 25th July, at the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station.
Rogers was buried at the Estaires Communal Cemetery, France.
In 1921 Holden wrote to the military:
Dear Sir,
Enclosed please find form completed as requested. For sometime past I have been endeavouring to ascertain my late nephew’s next of kin, as your form has given me the required information I should be pleased if you would forward me his Pay Book and Will if he made the latter.
I have applied for a gratuity for this lad but the application was not accepted.
He was a junior on enlisting, also an orphan, and a brother and sister survive him; would you be good enough to give me the grounds for claiming a gratuity for the two mentioned above.
Trusting this is not putting you to too much trouble, but as this lad gave his life for his country I think his brother and sister ought to participate in a gratuity.
Thanking you in anticipation.
Yours Truly.
William H Holden
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.