Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

George Edward HANSON, (Service Number 3087) was born on 12 March 1888. His first employment with the tramways was as a conductor in Sydney in July 1915, nearly a year after the war was declared and for his whole career he remained a casual employee but, nevertheless, he gave his calling on his enlistment papers as ‘Tram Conductor’. He joined the AIF on 16 August 1915, though his NSWGR&T records show him as receiving a pay increase after that date, and a formal ‘Release from duty to join Expeditionary Forces’ a year later and only two weeks before the record of his death in action. It is unclear as to how a casual employee needed a release from duty to enlist, nor how the Department’s guarantee of pay, or re-employment, would operate. Perhaps, with the man dead, the paperwork needed to be tidied up.

He reached Marseilles in March 1916 and was promoted to Lance Corporal in June. Two months later he was missing and this was formally confirmed on 19 August. More detailed information, that he had been killed in action, became available in December. He had been buried between Pozières and La Boisselle by Sapper (4202) J F Crane, 4th Field Company, Australian Engineers. After the war the Imperial War Graves Commission relocated the remains to the Pozières British Cemetery.
A transcription of Sapper Crane’s letter to Hanson’s sister is held within the archives
France.
17 – 8 – 16
Dear Miss Hansen,
You will be surprised to get this letter not knowing me, I am forwarding a letter to you, which I found by the side of the body of Sergt George Hansen, which I take to be your brother, I was coming from the front line of trenches across the open ground, I saw three men lying dead, they fell in a charge, they must have been lying there about two weeks, somebody must have taken everything off of them, as all I could find was this letter and a small diary by his side, so seeing the letter there I picked it up & also the diary, thinking you would like to have them, I am only sending you the letter as I have not much chance of sending you the diary, but you can trust me to keep it for you until such time that I can send it to you, if you don't mind me keeping it. If I happen to fall myself I will have the book with me, so as it will be sent to you, I buried him where he lay the best I could as he was beyond moving, as shells were bursting all about me & had to go for shelter. The next day I went back and put a cross at his head with his name on. I hope I have not taken too much on my own account that you won't like. I will tell you all about it if I ever have the luck to get back to Australia if you wish it, I am a Queenslander myself although I have been to Sydney several times on a holiday. We are sure to stop at Sydney on our way back - I have only come out of the trenches today for a spell we are only getting 4 days spell and going back again, we are camped five mile behind the firing line, if the letter has any smell about it take no notice of it - it is from his dead body. I could not get anything to put on it to kill the smell. The letter is a little torn, it is where piece of shell went through it. Please let me know if you receive the letter as I wouldn’t like it to go astray. That is all trusting this will enlighten your heart a little, he died a Hero. I am sorry to have to give you such bad news. I was on the Peninsula for nearly 4 months.
from Your Sincerely,
No. 4202 Sapper J.F. Crane.
4th Field Co. Aust. Engineers.
4th Division.
A. I. F.
ON ACTIVE SERVICE ABROAD.
James Francis Crane did survive the war and returned to Australia through Sydney and lived until 1967.