Henry Charles Hedger (1896 - 1918)

Born 1896 in Saint Andrews, Guernsey

Died 12 Jul 1918 at about age 22 in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England, United Kingdom

Biography

Henry was born in 1896 in Guernsey, Channel Islands, the son of Herbert Hedger, a gardener, and his wife Emily. In the 1901 Census he was living with his parents and a younger sister in St Andrews, Guernsey.

The family migrated to Adelaide, South Australia from London on the "Ormuz", departing on 14 Mar 1902.^[1] His father's occupation was given as butcher on shipping documents.

His father died in Adelaide in 1914^[2] as a result of injuries received fighting a fire with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade.^[3]

Henry was a fitter and brass finisher. He had served a 6 year apprenticeship with Hitchcock Bros. of Adelaide and continued with them as a Journeyman working on brass fittings for motors and pumps as well as water meters.

On 20 Sep 1916 he applied to become an Australian Munitions Worker under a joint Australian government/ British government scheme to supply skilled workers for the War effort in the UK. At the time he was single and living with his widowed mother in Norwood, South Australia.

He was accepted and his agreement was signed on 15 Nov 1916. He was issued with Australian Munitions Worker Badge No. 555 and embarked on the SS "Berrima" on 16 Dec 1916 at Adelaide, arriving at Plymouth, England on 17 Feb 1917.

On 27 Feb 1917 Henry commenced work at Charlton & Co., Newcastle-on-Tyne as a brass finisher on ship repairs.

He died in the Royal Infirmary, Newcastle-on-Tyne on 12 Jul 1918 of bronchial pneumonia and cardiac failure. He was buried in the Elswick Cemetery on 16 Jul 1918.

Sources

1. ↑ Henry Hedger in the Victoria, Australia, Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839-1923 - Source Citation: Public Record Office Victoria; North Melbourne, Victoria; Inward Overseas Passenger Lists (British Ports) [Microfiche Copy of VPRS 947]; Series: VPRS 7666; Source Information: Ancestry.com. Victoria, Australia, Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839-1923 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2009.; Original data: Inward Overseas Passenger Lists (British Ports). Microfiche VPRS 7666, copy of VRPS 947. Public Record Office Victoria, North Melbourne, Victoria.; Inward Overseas Passenger Lists (Foreign Ports). Microfiche VPRS 7667, copy of VRPS 947. Public Record Office Victoria, North Melbourne, Victoria.; Inward Overseas Passenger Lists (New Zealand Ports). Microfiche VPRS 13439, copy of VRPS 947. Public Record Office Victoria, North Melbourne, Victoria.; Register of Assisted Immigrants from the United Kingdom. Microfiche VPRS 14. Public Record Office Victoria, North Melbourne, Victoria.
2. ↑ Death of father - genealogysa.org.au - Deaths - HEDGER Herbert Brand; M; Adelaide; 381/260; 1914
3. ↑ A FIREMAN'S DEATH. (1914, January 31). The Journal (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1923), p. 1. Retrieved August 13, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204658247

• 1901 Channel Islands Census - "England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X91F-HSQ : 21 May 2019), Henry Hedger in household of Herbert Hedger, Saint Andrews, Guernsey; from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.

• WW1 Australian Munitions Worker Service File - National Archives of Australia - HEDGER Henry Charles - Munitions Worker Number 555 - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=469785

• Death - UK GRO BDM Death index - HEDGER, HENRY CHARLES; 23; GRO Reference: 1918 S Quarter in NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE Volume 10B

• Death Notice - Family Notices (1918, July 23). Daily Herald (Adelaide, SA : 1910 - 1924), p. 4. Retrieved August 13, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106518020