Ancestor Details
Name of Ancestor: William David Hanna
Ancestor's date of birth: 10/03/1884
Ancestor's date of death: 10/12/1953
Cause of Death: Stomach Cancer
Service Number: 22
Colony or State of enlistment: NSW, Place of Enlistment: Jerilderie
Unit: 3rd NSW Imperial Bushman
Rank attained in Boer War: TPR, Date Effective: On enlistment
Highest Rank attained (if served after war): No record of post Boer War service.
Murray Page: 155
Contingent: Fifth NSW Contingent - Riverina Draft
Ship: Manhattan, Date of Sailing: 02/04/1902
Other Boer War Service: Part of JH Horsfall's Riverina 200
Memorial details: Cremated at Woronora Cremitorium, Sutherland NSW.
Decorations: Police Service Medal and QSA with Transvaal and SA1902 clasps.
Personal Characteristics: Good nature and generous man and family orinated. William David HANNA was the third child born to David HANNA & Susan Anna SMITH. He was born on the 10th March 1884 at Woorooma Station, Moulamein NSW.
Reasons to go and fight: Experience and adventure
Details of service in war: The 3NSWIB was formed May 1901 in Klerksdorp around reinforcements intended for Citizen and Imperial Bushmen contingents; few members recruited in South Africa were Australian. 200 reinforcements raised in the NSW Riverina by J S Horsfall (Carington's father-in-Law) departed with the 3rd ACH on the 'Manhattan' 2 April 1902 under the command of Maj H H Browne trooper Hanna was part of this Riverina 200. He served May 1901 - May 1902 in west then east Transvaal then west Transvaal.
Service and life after the Boer War: As a returned soldier he was offered a career in the NSW Police Force, and was appointed as an Ordinary Constable on the 1 April 1906, (information obtained from the NSW Police Gazette dated 11 July 1906). His service number was 8363 and he was posted to the far North Coast country towns of Murwillumbah & Mullumbimby. A few years later he was posted to Hillston, in far western NSW. Members of the HANNA family knew him by the nickname of "Barlow". On the 31 March 1908 he married Jessie TAMLYN in the Mount Hope district of NSW. William and Jessie had three children. William David Gregory was born in Condobolin during 1909. The second child born was Grace May Dorothy who was born on 16 December 1911 at Hay NSW. The third child Jessie Margaret was born at Urana NSW on the 14th June, 1913. Crown Sergeant William HANNA was professionally acquainted with Sydney's major underworld figures of the day. He was also a member of the Orange Lodge and Masonic Lodge. He was sent to the Hunter Valley Region on several occasions for Bush Fire control and Law and Order at times of the infamous Coal Miners Strikes during the 1930's. On one occasion he was severely beaten in a brawl and finished up in Hospital. His family could not get near him because of the number of Chinese residents holding a vigil around his bed side. He had an affiliation with the Chinese population and believed they were good citizens. William David HANNA died aged 70 on the 10 December 1953 at his Rosebery NSW residence.
Descendant Details
Name of Descendant: John Horgan, Hamlyn Terrace NSW
Relationship to Ancestor: Great Nephew
