Lauris Johnstone shares the tragic story of her grandmother’s brothers Henry and John Hart.

This story concerns the war records of Henry and John Hart, the older brothers of Rachel Hart, my maternal grandmother. 

These two brothers served in the ‘war to end all wars’ and never came home. My grandmother always used to talk about the despair of her mother waiting for news of her two precious sons.

On Anzac Day 25 April and Remembrance Day 11 November I am always conscious of their sacrifice and existence, along, obviously with the sacrifice of my father and uncles and all the other brave men who fought and sacrificed a lot more than we can imagine for the freedom we have today.

Coleman and Sophia Hart arrived in Australia from England in 1912 and settled in Melbourne with their five children. Within two years their two eldest sons were off to war.

Lance Corporal Henry Hart, the older of the two Hart brothers enlisted on 17 August 1914 and arrived at Gallipoli on 5 April 1915. Just one month later he was reported as wounded and from this time on there is confusion as to his actual fate according to the Statement of Service.

A note from Henry’s father Coleman Hart reads “there was many and various conflicting reports received by me concerning my son, originally reported ‘wounded’ later ‘wounded and missing’ and finally by the Board of Enquiry ‘killed in action’.

The War Records Office advised Coleman Hart on the 9th June 1921 that ‘notwithstanding the efforts of the War Graves Services Unit, they have been unable to obtain any trace of the last resting place of his son’.

Henry Hart was awarded the 1914/15 Star, The British War Medal and the Victory Medal (posthumously). A copy of ‘Where Australians Rest’ was sent to his father Coleman on the 26th April 1921 and, on the 12th July 1921 a Memorial Scroll. Furthermore, his only living sister Mrs Jean Parris was presented with the ANZAC commemorative Medal on the 75th Anzac Anniversary.

Private John Hart enlisted on the 13 May 1916, three weeks before his older brother was finally listed as ‘killed in action’. By April 1917 John Hart had arrived in France. His Statement of Service records that he was wounded in action in September 1917, re-joining his unit January 1918 and again wounded in action on 24th August 1918. He was also gassed on three occasions.

At the conclusion of the war 7th Battalion moved out to return to Australia. On 10 April 1919 John Hart developed pains in the abdomen, but anxious to return home after all he had been through he neglected to report these pains and consequently died of appendicitis on 21 April 1919 in Belgium, where he was buried.

One can only imagine the sad and lonely sight of his mother standing at Station Pier watching the men disembark from the ships watching every face looking  for her son who was alive when the war was over, but never came home. My Grandmother recalls her mother waiting at the letterbox each day and then of the fateful day when the Rabbi arrived with the news.

John Hart was awarded the 1914/15 Star, The British War Medal and The  Victory Medal (posthumously). A copy of ‘Where Australians Rest’ and a Memorial Scroll was sent to his father Coleman Hart on 10th August 1921.