The Hanbury Brothers

THE HANBURY BROTHERS

3rd Tunnelling Company

In 1883, William Hanbury married Mary Ann Potter at Eaglehawk, Victoria. Their first son, William James was born in 1885, also at Eaglehawk. He soon had a brother, Albert Charles, born in 1886, and then more brothers joined the family: Edward in 1888; Arthur Oliver in 1890; Frederick Norman in 1894 and Francis Leslie in 1897.

Some time after the birth of Francis Leslie, the family moved to the Kalgoorlie / Boulder area of Western Australia.

On 25 January 1916, Albert, William and Norman, enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces for Service Abroad at the Blackboy Hill Camp, near Perth, Western Australia. They had been recruited, examined and declared Medically Fit for Active Service in Kalgoorlie or Boulder, Western Australia.

The three brothers were identified as:

4347 Sapper William James Hanbury – a 31 year old single Labourer, 5ft 3½in tall, 122lbs, fair complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.

4348 Sapper Norman Hanbury– a 21 year old single Labourer, 5ft 3in tall, 136lbs, medium complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.

4349 Sapper Albert Charles Hanbury– a 31 year old married Hairdresser, 5ft 5in tall, 128lbs, dark complexion, brown eyes and brown hair.

Norman and Albert were medically examined by the Senior Examining Medical Officer in Kalgoorlie on 7 January and signed the Oath on 25 January.

William was medically examined by the Senior Examining Medical Officer in Boulder on 25 January and signed the Oath on 1 February.

William and Norman named their mother, Mary Ann Hanbury of 32 Dart Street, Boulder, as their Next of Kin (NOK).

Albert named his wife, Maud Hanbury as his NOK, however, before he embarked for Overseas Service, Maud died, and Albert named his mother as NOK before changing it to his son, Victor, of the Grand Hotel, Boulder, as it appears on the Embarkation Roll.

William and Norman were officially accepted into the 6th Tunnelling Company of the Australian Mining Corp on 1 May 1916, Albert joining them on 9 May. All three brothers had been with the Sappers since around March of that year.

The three brothers embarked from Fremantle on 1 June 1916 on board HMAT A69 Warilda. Warilda had departed Sydney on 22 May with 375 Tunnellers of the 4th Company on board, a further 370 Tunnellers of the 5th Company boarded in Melbourne and 371 members of the 6th Company boarded at Fremantle. Warilda voyaged via Durban and Cape Town before the Tunnellers disembarked at Plymouth, England on 18 July.

The brothers proceeded overseas to France together on 28 August,

Albert joined the 3rd Australian Tunnelling Company where he was taken on strength on 23 November 1916. Suffering a shell wound to the arm and chest on 18 February 1917, he was evacuated to the Beaufort War Hospital in England on 25 February. Albert returned to France on 24 June, re-joining the 3rd Tunnellers on 8 July. Following the Armistice, he enjoyed leave between 31 December 1918 and 14 January 1919, before again returning to France to re-join his Company on 19 January to continue the re-building of French roads, water and drainage systems.

William was attached to the 1st Canadian Tunnelling Company on 26 October and was taken on strength of the 3rd Australian Tunnelling Company on 31 January 1917. On 12 August that year he was wounded with gas poisoning which required him to be hospitalised before re-joining his unit on 30 August. William joined Albert on leave 31 December 1918 to 14 January 1919 before returning to France on 16 January.

Norman was also attached to the 1st Canadian Tunnelling Company on 26 October and was taken on strength of the 3rd Australian Tunnelling Company on 13 January 1917. Norman had leave between 27 October and 15 November 1918 before re-joining his unit in France for the re-building work.

It is known that William and Norman left France for repatriation to Australia on 2 April 1919.

The three brothers again voyaged together leaving England on 1 June 1919 on board Somali, arriving at Fremantle on 8 July.

Norman was discharged from the A.I.F. in 5 MD on 28 August, and William on 31 August.

Albert died 24 November 1923 and is buried in Boulder, WA with his father, William.

His brother William died 18 December 1939.

William, Albert and Norman Hanbury were each entitled to wear the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

The three brothers joined up within days of each other; trained together and embarked for active service on the same ship.

They served together on the Western Front in the same unit for 3 years, and returned to Australia, relatively unscathed, and again, all together on the same ship.