Hanna, John
Private
No. 10792, 1st Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers
Killed in action on Tuesday 15 June 1915
Buried:
Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery, Gallipoli, Turkey (Grave XI. E. 14)
Commemorated:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Newtownards and District War Memorial
Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) Roll of Honour 1914 – 1919 for
Greenwell Street Presbyterian Church Newtownards
BIOGRAPHY
John Hanna was born in Newtownards and he was a son of the widowed Mary Hanna who in 1911 lived with her daughters Sara, and Maggie, at 25 Front Shuttlefield (Robert Street), Newtownards. Sara was born around 1887/1888 and Maggie was born around 1889/1890.
John Hanna enlisted in Newtownards and served with the 1st Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers.
Private John Hanna was killed in action at Gallipoli on 15 June 1915 and it was reported in the Press that, after he died, ‘a cheery letter’ he had written to his mother Mary was found in one of his pockets. This letter, in which he asked his mother to send him some cigarettes, was forwarded to her by Sergeant Kelly who informed her that John had been killed in action. At the same time, Mary received official notification of John’s death.
In June 1916, Private John Hanna’s mother and sister placed an Our Heroes – In Memoriam notice in the Newtownards Chronicle and it contained the text:
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends
Private John Hanna was buried in Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery, Gallipoli, Turkey.
Private John Hanna is commemorated on Newtownards and District War Memorial and in the PCI Roll of Honour for Greenwell Street Presbyterian Church Newtownards.