Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Ancre British Cemetery, Beaumont-Hamel | IV. A. 9. | |
| 2. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 10B GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of the Ven. Archdeacon Denis Hanan, D.D. and Mrs. Louisa Hanan. Formerly served in Ceylon Planters' Rifle Corps.Education & Career :
Planter, Matale (1915).
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 10/Royal Dublin Fusiliers |
1st Battalion August 1914 : in Madras. Returned to UK and landed at Plymouth on 21 December 1914. Moved to billets in Torquay but in January 1915 went on to Nuneaton. Came under orders of 86th Brigade in 29th Division. 16 March 1915 : sailed from Avonmouth for Gallipoli, going via Alexamdria and Mudros, where it halted on 9 April. Landed at Cape Helles on 25 April 1915. Between 30 April and 19 May 1915, following heavy casualties, the battalion and 1st Royal Munster Fusiliers formed one composite unit, called the 'Dubsters'. 1 January 1916 : evacuated from Gallipoli to Egypt, arriving 8 January. 13 March 1916 : sailed from Port Said to Marseilles for service in France. 10 February 1918 : absorbed 200 men from disbanded 8/9th Bn. 19 October 1917 : transferred to 48th Brigade in 16th (Irish) Division. 14 April 1918 : amalgamated with 2nd Bn. Reconsitituted five days later by taking men from 2ndd Bn, which was reduced to cadre. 26 April 1918 : transferred to 86th Brigade in 29th Division. |
| Action : The Battles of the Somme 1916 |
The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | St John's Lodge of Colombo No. 454 E.C. | Sri Lanka |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
20th March 1915 | 17th April 1915 | 17th July 1915 |
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley