Soldier profiles
Name : HANSON, ARTHUR STANLEY
Service Number : VX71785
Date of Birth : 19/09/1920
Place of Birth : COLAC, VIC
Known as : BILL, PUNCHY
Occupation on Enlistment : BUTCHER & SLAUGHTERMAN
Date of Enlistment : 12/01/1942
Locality on Enlistment : HERNE HILL, VIC
Place of Enlistment : CAULFIELD, VIC
Next of Kin : HANSON, ARTHUR
Rank (at time of discharge / death) : SERGEANT
Service : ARMY
Final Posting : 2/2 PIONEER BATTALION
Position / Platoon / Company (as 2/2 Pioneer) (date / details) :
Unit Transfers / Promotions (date / details) :
Theatres of War : NEW GUINEA, BORNEO
Actions : TARAKAN (BORNEO)
Wounded (date / details) :
Discharged : 20/02/1946
Date Died : 02/05/2001
Age at Death : 80
Community Roll of Honour : N/A
Buried Location / Memorial (P.O.W., D.O.W., K.I.A.) : N/A
K.I.A. (date / details) : N/A
D.O.W. (date / details) : N/A
M.I.A. (date / details) : N/A
P.O.W. (location/s) : NO
Died P.O.W. (date / details) : N/A
P.O.W. Camps (details) : N/A
Recovered P.O.W. (location/s) : N/A
Honours and Gallantry : Military Medal for initiative & great courage at Snag's Track on 05/1945 presented at Government House, Melbourne, Victoria on 10/07/1947. London Gazette 04/10/1945, page 4886, position 9. Commonwealth of Australia Gazette 09/08/1945, page 1713, position 9. Sergeant A.S. Hanson (VX71785) was awarded the Military Medal for initiative and great personal courage in Tarakan operations in May 1945.
Applicable Australian War Memorial circulars : Australian War Memorial Awards Circular
References found (entries & photos) : National Archives of Australia (Barcode 6068488 [DIGITISED]), WW2 Nominal Roll, S_HANSON_1.jpg
Background : Husband of Dorothy, Father of John and Glenice, Daughter- in-law of Sue, Son-in-law of Allen (dec.). Known by his soldier mates as 'Punchy' as he was a professional boxer for a short time before the war. The family has always known him as 'Bill'.
Bill was born in Colac in 1920, the second eldest of 10 children. When he enlisted he was working as a butcher/slaughterman with Sims Cooper Pty. Ltd. Geelong. Initially he was unable to join the forces as the government had deemed his job as an essential service, killing animals to make tinned meat for the army. He persuaded his boss to sign his release form and was 22 when he joined the Infantry, Jan, 12th, 1942. It was while training at Bellevue camp in Perth, he met Dorothy his wife to be, when her family offered hospitality to some of the young soldiers. A long war time correspondence began which culminated in their marriage in 1947, after he returned safely from Borneo.
Bill and Dorothy, settled in Timboon in 1948 where they ran a very successful butcher shop and abattoirs until 1977. Bill then semi-retired to farm sheep and cattle. Bill passed away at the Timboon Hospital in May, 2001, aged 80. In January of that year he was presented with the RSL's highest national award, a meritorious service medal, for his 50 years of tireless work for the Timboon RSL. Bruce Ruxton the State's RSL president presented his medal. Dorothy still lives in Timboon and is one of their oldest active residents.
Summary courtesy of S. Hanson.
