Along the north-eastern shore of Ireland is a small place called Aughahoory, This is quite close to Kilkeel in County Down, and it would be here that Robert Hill Hanna would be born in early August of 1887. He may have grown up on a farm, as this was what he made a living at after getting basic schooling at the Ballinran School. He also worked at the lumbering business for a while. But by the age of 18 he started to get the itch to travel. When it was finally scratched, he found himself in Canada... at Vancouver BC and working again in the lumbering world. Soon he would apply for and eventually get granted the naturalized Canadian citizenship. And he would also find some time to work with the Militia. Then came the great war to end all wars. So they said!
Within 2 weeks of the call for troops to enlist by the 29th (Vancouver) Battalion, Robert Hanna became Private Hanna when he signed up on 9 November 1914 for overseas service. While he was 27 years old at the time, for some unknown reason his signed documents indicated that he had been born in 1886 instead of what would later appear to be a birth in 1887.
Regardless training was no doubt rushed and he would be moved by train across Canada to Halifax, Nova Scotia and boarded on the Canadian Pacific Liner's SS Missanabie as shown above. This and other CP liners were converted during the war to troop carriers, and like others had to travel across the dangerous U Boat covered Atlantic ocean. The 29th would take 37 officers and 1,104 other ranks off Canadian shores on 20 May 1915. A sight many would never see again. Some 3 1/2 years later this very troop carrying ship would be sunk by a German U-Boat off the coast of Ireland.
Private Hanna's unit would have probably be held or near London for some training before being sent off to Europe. And it would be in Europe after many battles no doubt that Robert would become a hero. Along the road he obviously impressed his superiors over the next two years and rose from the rank of private through to Company Sergeant Major. That's possibly seven different promotions folks.
Regardless training was no doubt rushed and he would be moved by train across Canada to Halifax, Nova Scotia and boarded on the Canadian Pacific Liner's SS Missanabie as shown above. This and other CP liners were converted during the war to troop carriers, and like others had to travel across the dangerous U Boat covered Atlantic ocean. The 29th would take 37 officers and 1,104 other ranks off Canadian shores on 20 May 1915. A sight many would never see again. Some 3 1/2 years later this very troop carrying ship would be sunk by a German U-Boat off the coast of Ireland.
Private Hanna's unit would have probably be held or near London for some training before being sent off to Europe. And it would be in Europe after many battles no doubt that Robert would become a hero. Along the road he obviously impressed his superiors over the next two years and rose from the rank of private through to Company Sergeant Major. That's possibly seven different promotions folks.
About 75 miles south-west of Brussels Belgium there is a small mining town called Lens in France. From the other direction, it is about 125 miles north-west of Paris France. A few miles north-west on the edge of the town of Lens is a high mountain area known in military circles today as Hill 70. This was a strategic point being held by the Germans who were well dug in and had many Machine Gun nests and bunkers, artillery, barbed wire entanglements and other weapons available to keep the allies off the hill and the important vantage point it provided. For about ten days the allies tried to take the hill and it cost over 9,200 casualties. Six Victoria Crosses would eventually be awarded for bravery in the process of capturing Hill 70. Four of these would be posthumous awards.
Hanna's regiment... the 29th, was part of the Canadian 6th Brigade, which in turn was part of the 2nd Canadian Division.
The battle for Hill 70 took place in the upper right corner of this map. The battle was most viciously fought between both sides, with the 29th launching three separate attacks on the hill to be repulsed each time... and at VERY heavy costs. In fact Hanna's B Company had all of its officers already killed and this left him in charge.
Hanna rallied his troops and decided to take a fourth run at the hill and this time, despite murderous fire managed to get a group of men through the barbed wire and advancing on an enemy machine gun pit. Hanna alone took out the first three by bayonet and clubbed the forth to death using the butt of his rifle. The men then immediately set up a defensive position knowing full well that the Germans would counter the attack, and they certainly did. But this time Hanna and his company held the ground till later relieved. About ten weeks later it was announced in the London Gazette that CSM Robert Hanna had been awarded the Victoria Cross. Here is that announcement...
The battle for Hill 70 took place in the upper right corner of this map. The battle was most viciously fought between both sides, with the 29th launching three separate attacks on the hill to be repulsed each time... and at VERY heavy costs. In fact Hanna's B Company had all of its officers already killed and this left him in charge.
Hanna rallied his troops and decided to take a fourth run at the hill and this time, despite murderous fire managed to get a group of men through the barbed wire and advancing on an enemy machine gun pit. Hanna alone took out the first three by bayonet and clubbed the forth to death using the butt of his rifle. The men then immediately set up a defensive position knowing full well that the Germans would counter the attack, and they certainly did. But this time Hanna and his company held the ground till later relieved. About ten weeks later it was announced in the London Gazette that CSM Robert Hanna had been awarded the Victoria Cross. Here is that announcement...
During the war there would be over 4,500 men that would serve in the 29th Battalion. Of these, CSM Hanna would be the only member to be awarded the Victoria Cross. The unit soldiers did however receive 30 Military Crosses and 159 Military Medals. But each was at a very heavy costs. Over 600 were killed and another 1,715 wounded.
Within about ten weeks of the battle Hannah was in London and attending a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace. HRH King George V presented him and Michael O'Rourke... another Canadian, with their Victoria Crosses. Both were for heroism on Hill 70. (His blog yet to come.) (But I will now say that he also came from Ireland to Canada pre WW1, took out cirtizenship and later went off to war. He was from about 200 miles away from were Hanna spent his youth. And both were from BC Regiments, and on death are both buried in the same city in BC)
Within about ten weeks of the battle Hannah was in London and attending a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace. HRH King George V presented him and Michael O'Rourke... another Canadian, with their Victoria Crosses. Both were for heroism on Hill 70. (His blog yet to come.) (But I will now say that he also came from Ireland to Canada pre WW1, took out cirtizenship and later went off to war. He was from about 200 miles away from were Hanna spent his youth. And both were from BC Regiments, and on death are both buried in the same city in BC)
HRH King George V is pictured at centre. One of the two pictures is in front of Buckingham Palace and the 2nd is believed to be in Ireland where they both went for a visit after the VC ceremony. Note Rourke's wearing the VC and Hanna wearing the white band indicative of the fact that he was by then taking his commissioning training to become a lieutenant.
Hanna is shown here wearing the white band of an officer in training, and possibly while still in London. Difficult to see, but it appears he is also wearing the VC ribbon.
Also shown is a Victoria Cross. I enlarged it as much as I could and note the date on the reverse of the image, (it is two images of same cross, one on top of other) is the date of the deed, that being 21 August, the date of the deed on Hill 70. The suspension bar also seems to show the soldier's serial number and name but as it is enlarged it get fuzzier. But I do believe this may well be his Victoria Cross.
By the fall of 1919 Hanna was back at Vancouver and again in the logging business. He actually set up a camp which he ran till 1938. In 1930 he married a Scottish woman and they had two boys but one died in infancy. He travelled back to Ireland several times for visits and was in London and paraded with the rest of the Canadian VC recipients who attended the 100th anniversary of the investiture of the first ever VC at Hyde Park back in 1857. Unfortunately he doe not appear in the wonderful picture of about a few dozen recipients posted on this blog site in one of the Rowland Bourke blogs.
If ever in Ireland, drop in on the folks at the Kilkeel British Legion, and therein on one of the walls you will find proudly displayed Robert Hill Hanna's sword.
In September of 2008 the BC Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own) Association unveiled the marker at the left, near Lens France and marking the Hill 70 battle. The two markers are commemorating the heroism if two Irishmen. Robert Hanna and Michael O"Rourke. Each describes their heroism on that date back in 1917.
Robert Hanna was born on 6 August 1887, and that was exactly 126 years ago today. He passed away in his 80th year and lies at rest in Burnaby BC...just a few miles away from where his fellow countryman O'Rourke also rests today.
Bart
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