Hannaberry, William Joseph

Service highlights

  • Service number: 6567
  • Rank: Private
  • Born: 16 October 1896,
  • Unit: 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion
  • Volunteered: among the first group from St. Marys when war was declared (4 August 1914)
  • Enlisted: 20 September 1914
  • Overseas: sailed to England with the 1st Division on 23 September 1914
  • In France: 9 February 1915
  • Last reported: Missing after the 15 June 1915 attack near Givenchy, later presumed to have died
  • No known grave: commemorated on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial
  • Also commemorated: cenotaphs at St. Marys and Rannoch

A Life and Service Remembered

William Joseph Hannaberry was born on 16 October 1896 on a farm west of St. Marys. His father, Patrick, had been born in Ireland and came to Canada as a young boy. His mother, Sarah, was born in Ontario. Will was their only child.

In 1912, before Will had reached sixteen, his father died, leaving Will and his mother to run the farm. When war was declared on 4 August 1914, he stepped forward early, joining the first group of volunteers from St. Marys.

Two weeks after the outbreak of war, volunteers for the First Contingent gathered at Valcartier. When Will signed his attestation papers there, he gave his birthplace as Rheims, France, and gave his birth date as 15 September 1895, taking a year, a month, and a day from his actual date of birth. The account suggests he may have worried about being turned away for being slightly underage, and it hints at a young man eager to get out into the world. With so many volunteers, it took time to form units and attest everyone, and it was not until 20 September 1914 that Will and more than 1,000 other young men were formally enlisted in the 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion.

On 23 September 1914, the 1st Division sailed to England and trained on Salisbury Plain and at Aldershot before sailing for France on 9 February 1915. In the spring of 1915, his battalion went into the fighting in the Second Battle of Ypres, when chlorine gas was used on unprotected French and Canadian troops. Nearly half of the division’s infantry became casualties, but Will was fortunate to come through unscathed.

After a short period in reserve, the battalion fought at Festubert from 21 to 25 May 1915. A few weeks later, on 15 June 1915, Will’s battalion attacked German trenches near Givenchy and was beaten back, leaving many casualties in no man’s land. Will was reported missing, and his records later carried the blunt line: previously reported missing, now for official purposes presumed to have died.

Will’s body was not found after the war. He is remembered by name on the Canadian Memorial at Vimy Ridge. He was survived by his mother, Sarah Howard Hannaberry, who later moved off the farm and into St. Marys. William Hannaberry is commemorated on the cenotaphs at St. Marys and Rannoch.

Major battles and operations

  • Training in England (Salisbury Plain and Aldershot), late 1914 to early 1915
  • Second Battle of Ypres (17 April to 3 May 1915)
  • Battle of Festubert (21 to 25 May 1915)
  • Attack near Givenchy (15 June 1915), reported missing and later presumed dead

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