• Home
  • Articles
    • Front Page
    • General Interest
    • Special Interests
    • Snippets
    • Mayoral Notes
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Competitions
    • Sydney Royal Easter Show Giveaway
  • Our Community
    • Our People
    • Question of the Week
    • Jobs in the Central West
    • Be Seen
    • What’s On
  • Special Interests
    • Women In Business
    • Rural Round Up
    • My Place
    • Health & Wellbeing
    • Loving Local Living
    • Just a Short Drive
    • Real Estate
  • Sports
    • Bowls
    • Cricket
    • Equestrian
    • Footy Tips
    • Golf
    • Netball
    • Rugby League
    • Rugby Union
    • Soccer
    • Touch Football
  • Contact Us
    • Contact Page
    • Advertise with us
    • Testimonials
    • Submit an Article
    • Subscribe to the Parkes Phoenix

Parkes Phoenix

Keeping Perspective In A Time Of Turmoil

March 27, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

LEST WE FORGET… Rosemary Prior of the Parkes and District Historical Society researched Jacob Hansen for the display at the Henry Parkes Museum. Insert: A close up of the Dead Man’s Penny in honour of Jacob Hansen.

The Coronavirus has turned our lives upside down, and daily complaints about empty shelves in the shops and home-schooling our children have become the new norm.

Perspective can be very sobering, and with Anzac Day approaching, here is a story of another time of turmoil.

When Jacob Sidney Hansen of Tichbourne was 24 he enlisted in Dubbo just over a year after Britain declared war on Germany on 4th August 1914.

After his initial training Jacob embarked on the Ceramic troop carrier in April 1916 and sailed to the Sues, then to England arriving four months later. He was attached to the 2nd infantry 54th battalion and they were shipped to France to fight on the front.

He was sadly one of the more than 60,000 Australians who did not return when he was killed in action on 16th November 1917 at age 26. His time at the front was a nightmare according to his casualty records suffering major injuries and illnesses, including trench foot twice and mumps.

After the war the family of every serviceman killed received a bronze plague of condolences known as Dead Man’s Penny or Death Penny as it resembled a coin.

Jacob’s plague, as well as medals of his two brothers, Carl James and Tennos Oliver, who also served in the war are on permanent display at the Henry Parkes Museum with some history of the Hansen family. (The museum is currently closed until further notice in accordance to the new rules.)

Filed Under: Articles, Front Page, General Interest

Latest Print Editions

Click here to download the recent issue (5) of The Forbes & Parkes Phoenix (2.8MB PDF) – 5th Aug 2022

STAY CONNECTED

The Parkes Phoenix would like to thank you, our Facebook friends, for your continued support and readership!

SEARCH THE PHOENIX

Recent Articles

  • Annual Harvest Field Day On 11th August August 5, 2022
  • Our Bloke – Peter Giles August 5, 2022
  • Allan Rees The Master August 5, 2022
  • Australian Poetry Month. August 5, 2022
  • Trees, Trees, Trees August 5, 2022

CONTACT THE PHOENIX

Address
7/113-127 Rankin Street, Forbes NSW 2871

Editorial Phone –  0403 080 085
 editor@parkesphoenix.com.au

Sales Phone – 0476 110 953
sales@parkesphoenix.com.au

View our Privacy Policy.
View our Conflict Resolution Process.
View our Ethics and Complaints Policy.
Want to advertise with us?
Information on our Community Promotions.

Submit an Article

We are always looking for new articles of interest to the local community.

Please feel free to submit an article for possible inclusion in a future issue.

To submit an article, click here to use our online article submission form.

Recieve the Phoenix via email

* indicates required

Copyright © 2022 · Website setup by WebSysMan