Geboortejaar: 1892

Geboorteplaats: Townsville, Queensland, Australië

Beroep: Bakker

Land: Australië

Strijdmacht: Australian Imperial Force

Rang: Sergeant

Service nummer: 896

Dienstneming datum: 10/01/1915

Dienstneming plaats: Liverpool, New South Wales, Australië

Eenheden:  —  Australian Infantry, 20th Bn. (New South Wales)  (Laatst gekende eenheid)

Datum van overlijden: 20/09/1917

Plaats van overlijden: Hanebeek Wood, België

Doodsoorzaak: Killed in action (K.I.A.)

Leeftijd: 25

British War Medal Medaille

Victory Medal Medaille

Sergeant Michael Patrick Hart served in the Australian Infantry 20th Battalion, “C” Company, part of the 5th Australian Brigade, of the 2nd Australian Division. The 2nd Australian Division participated in the Battle of the Menin Road (20-25 September 1917), a stage in the Third Battle of Ypres. The 5th Australian Brigade attacked with the 20th Battalion and the 18th Battalion in support; the 17th and 26th Battalions were in reserve.
Moments before the allied artillery barrage opened, the German artillery started shelling the jump-off lines of the 20th Australian Battalion. At 5.40 a.m. the allied artillery barrage came down, followed by the advancing Battalions. When the 20th Battalion crossed the Westhoek Ridge the German barrage came down heavily on them, causing several casualties. Nevertheless the attack went on and the Battalion only encountered slight resistance, from a line of old concrete artillery shelters, causing a slight hold up. By 7.24 a.m. the allied barrage crept over the ridge above Hanebeek Wood, and the men went on to the first objective and captured it around 7.30 a.m. Thusly the 20th Battalion had gained its objective and started to consolidate the line. For several hours their positions on the ridge were heavily shelled.
Enemy shelling was intermittent throughout the day and the next one, but the men held the line. The night was quit and the 20th Battalion was relieved from the frontline by the 19th Battalion on the following day.
Sergeant Michael Patrick Hart was killed in action on the 20th of September 1917, during the Battle of Menin Road. He was buried in the field along the Hanebeek stream, just south of Hanebeek Wood. His remains were exhumed after the war and were interred in Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood.

20th Australian Infantry Battalion, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/37/26). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Gebruikte bronnen

Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10239242 Gebruikte bronnen

First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, HART M P). http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx. Gebruikte bronnen

McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), pg. 72-75. Gebruikte bronnen

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/480273

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=3ac982c9-d2a2-4151-aa14-8bea518c1f86

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7463777

The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=129559

The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=129558