ROSS, Henry Hasall (1879-1917) + .JPG)
H H Ross (War Service).
Henry Hassall Ross was born on 30 December 1879 at Anderson’s Bay, New Zealand, the son of the Rev Charles Stuart Ross (1840-1927) and his wife, Jane nee Cooper, latterly of 'Aparima', Hampton Street, Brighton. He came to Australia with his family at the age of five.
He was admitted to Geelong Grammar School as a day boy in 1893, then went on to Geelong College enrolling on 25 April 1894. After completing his education there, where he was Dux of the College in 1896 and 1897. His enrolment address was 'The Masnse', Skipton.
He then studied Arts at Ormond College, Melbourne University. He accepted an educational appointment in Western Australia, and in 1903 in Perth he married Emily Charlotte Cross, of Orange Grove, Camberwell. They had two sons, Charles Stuart Ross, born on 9 February, 1904, and Hugh Hasall Ross, born on 21 February, 1913.
Henry remained in Western Australia until his enlistment (2865) at Blackboy Hill as a Private on 30 April 1916 in 51 Battalion, and embarked on
HMAT A24 Benalla on 9 November for England, where he underwent further training.
Invalided to hospital in March 1917, he returned to his unit in May. On 17 July 1917 he died of wounds received early that morning at an advanced listening post in France, aged 38, and is buried at Trois Arbres Cemetery, Steenwerck - Grave I.T.21. The action was described in Neville Browning’s unit history Fix Bayonets:
‘Battalion strength at this time was twenty-one officers and 800 other ranks. On the night of 16th July, D Company carried out raids and attacked two of Fritz’s posts. One platoon under the command of Lt Guillet-Guttridge assailed a post under the cover of a barrage of mortar-bombs and rifle grenades. At 1am during the assault, one of his men new to the Front, pulled the pin out of a Mills bomb during the advance, but dropped the bomb. The ensuing explosion caused three casualties. Guillet-Guttridge called on his men to withdraw back to the trenches with the casualties. Lt Guillet-Guttridge reorganised his platoon and at 2.45am they went over the top and successfully captured their objective, an enemy post. Meanwhile, another small party from D Company made their way across No-Man’s Land and successfully assaulted another post.’ Henry Ross’s brother, Sergeant James Forbes Ross, 6 Battalion, was killed at the Landing on 25 April 1915, aged 27, and his name is commemorated on the Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli. James Forbes Ross (1887-1915) had also attended Geelong College. His son, Charles Stuart Ross, served in the Volunteer Defence Corps during the Second World War, enlisting at Boyanup, and being discharged on 30 September 1943.
Sources: Based on an edited extract from Geelong Collegians at the Great War compiled by James Affleck. pp100-101 (citing Commonwealth War Graves Commission; Neville Browning, Fix Bayonets: the history of the 51st Battalion AIF; Australian War Memorial; Photo The University of Melbourne: Record of Active Service.) Last updated 11 September 2014.