HANNAM, Henry Gordon
| Service Numbers: | 133, 1851, V80932 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 April 1902 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Australian Light Railway Operating Company |
| Born: | Huntington, England, 18 January 1884 |
| Home Town: | Pascoe Vale , Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Fireman |
| Died: | Illness, 115th Australian General Hospital (Heidelberg), Melbourne, Australia, 21 March 1943, aged 59 years |
| Cemetery: |
Springvale War Cemetery, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
Boer War Service
| 26 Apr 1902: | Enlisted Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Private, 133, 6th Battalion, Australian Commonwealth Horse |
|---|
World War 1 Service
| 5 Apr 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Second Corporal, 1851, Railway Unit (AIF), 280 days Victorian Rangers (militia), Sth Africa | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 May 1917: | Involvement 1851, Railway Unit (AIF), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '6' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 11 May 1917: | Embarked 1851, Railway Unit (AIF), HMAT Ascanius, Melbourne | |
| 21 Dec 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Second Corporal, 5th Broad Gauge Railway Operating Coy | |
| 14 Sep 1918: | Transferred AIF WW1, Second Corporal, 3rd Australian Light Railway Operating Company | |
| 22 Sep 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Second Corporal, 1851, 3rd Australian Light Railway Operating Company, Appt TCpl March 1919 6th MD |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Sapper, V80932 | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Oct 1939: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, V80932 |
Help us honour Henry Gordon Hannam's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Kearney
From How We Served
The final resting place for; - 133, 1851 & V80932 Sapper Henry Gordon Hannam of Devonport, Tasmania, & Pascoe Vale, Victoria, who at the time of his enlistment on the 24th of April 1917 for World War One, was employed as a fireman.
Henry had already previously served with the 6th Battalion Australian Commonwealth Horse during the Boer War in South Africa. Henry was allocated to reinforcements for the Australian Railway Unit 1st AIF, and was embarked for England and further training on the 11th of May.
Following his safe arrival Henry entered camp, and whilst in his training phase was hospitalized due to a hernia on the 3rd of August. Following his recovery, he was sent back to camp, before embarking for France on the 16th of December.
Having arrived in France, Henry was officially taken on strength with the 35th Broad Gauge Railway Operating Company on the 21st of December. Promoted to 2nd/Corporal, Henry’s service in the field would be continuous aside a brief period of hospitalization during August 1918, following which he returned to duty in Northern France.
Henry was transferred over to the 3rd Light Railway Operating Company on the 14th of September 1918. With the end of the hostilities, Henry was still serving in France, and would remain so until he was granted Leave Furlough back to England during December 1918, after which he returned to his Unit in the field.
Promoted to Temporary Corporal by the start of March 1919, Henry would begin his repatriation back to Australia, departing for England on the 2nd of May, and by the 1st of July, he was on his way back to home.
Following his return, Henry received his official Discharge from the 1st AIF for his re-entry into civilian life on the 22nd of September 1919.
With the outbreak of a Second World War, Henry again presented himself for enlistment in the Australian Military Forces on the 5th of October 1939 and was accepted for full-time service within Australia.
Allocated initially to the 12th Garrison Battalion, Henry transferred over to the Royal Australian Engineers in October 1940, with which he would serve with continuously until he was evacuated due to illness on the 21st of January 1943.
Whilst still being treated at the 115th Australian General Hospital (Heidelberg), Henry succumbed to illness on the 21st of March 1943, at the age of 59.
Following his passing, Sapper Henry Hannam, who had served Australia during three Wars, was formally interred within Springvale War Cemetery, Victoria.
Click images to start slideshow.