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Killed in action 7 August 1915 during the attack on the Turkish trenches at The Nek. Having only arrived on Gallipoli two days earlier, Pte Hansen was a stretcher bearer in Monash Gully when he emerged from a shelter into the full blast of an exploding shell. 

He died instantaneously from shrapnel wounds to his neck and head. 

Prior to enlisting he was a draper at Snow's Department Store in Ballarat, and played cricket with Central CC in Ballarat.

On the Ballarat War Memorial and also commemorated by Tree No. 2042 on the Ballarat Avenue of Honour.

Source: Gallipoli Heroes, p.54 

From Ballarat & District in the Great War
 
There are so many fascinating layers to each of these stories and you never know what you will find or where the journey will take you. It is also important not to take things on face value because that can quickly lead to mistakes. Certainly, that could have been the case with the story of Ras Hansen: records indicated one outcome, but information, that was admittedly well hidden, changed the entire scenario completely.

Rasmus Ryan Robinson Hansen was the perfect amalgam of early multi-cultural Australia. Born at Clifton Hill in January 1889, Ras was the eldest of just three children. His parents, Christian Hansen and Sarah Jane Masters, came from very different backgrounds. Although they were both born in Bendigo, their ancestral origins were particularly unique. The Masters family came from Warwickshire in England, with Sarah’s father originating from the spa town of Leamington. Ras’ grandfather (also Rasmus Hansen) was born at Svendborg on the Danish Island of Funen. The name of Rasmus was a diminutive of Erasmus and occasionally the name was recorded as such, and, as a given name of Greek origin, it simply meant beloved.

It was also apparent that the young couple placed great value in family and added gravitas to those connections with the names they chose for their firstborn. The name of Ryan came from the baby’s paternal grandmother, Hanora Ryan, who came from Tipperary in Ireland. Sarah chose her own mother’s maiden surname as a third given name – the origins being from around Glasgow in Scotland.

The small family was completed by the arrival of Irene Hanora in 1891 and Leslie Clarence (known as Kelly) in 1894. By the time of Rene’s birth, Christian and Sarah had returned to Bendigo, initially living in Barnard Street along with Christian’s widowered father. Christian was then employed as a painter at the coachbuilding firm of Scholten and Marsh at their premises in Queen Street and Lyttleton Terrace.
There can be little doubt that the presence of his grandfather in the family home had a profound influence on young Ras. Rasmus Hansen senior had arrived in Victoria during the height of the goldmining boom. Initially he had been connected to small party of men who worked the Indefatigable Mine at Specimen Hill, but later continued to speculate on different mines around Bendigo, with a large interest in the Garden Gully United. The year before his grandson’s birth, Rasmus had become a naturalised Australian. He had also diversified into hotelkeeping following a downturn in his mining speculation, holding the licenses in the Old Beehive and Temple Court Hotel in Pall Mall. By 1894, other than a continued interest in mining speculation, Rasmus Hansen had retired.

As a boy, Ras thrived in this atmosphere – an extended family can have a positive effect on children and he quickly developed skills across several diverse areas. His initial schooling was received at the Camp Hill Central State School, which was only a short walk from home. Having completed his primary education, Ras then graduated to nearby Sandhurst Grammar, which it was said had been established to cater for the new wealthy class of Bendigo. In 1901, Ras took out the annual prize for arithmetic in the lower division of Class IV, an early indication of his lively intelligence. It seems that the school also fostered Ras’ performing talents – at the Annual Speech Day in December 1902, he took part in the presentation of an amusing dialogue, “Bashful John’s Blunders,” which caused ‘hearty laughter’ from the audience.

The talented young man went on to become a proficient on both the violin and piano. His young life was rounded out by significant sporting capabilities. Whilst Ras enjoyed playing cricket, it was his ability as a pedestrian – the early form of modern race-walking – that was to see him win several trophies at Bendigo athletic meetings representing the Bendigo Harriers.

As a family, the Hansen’s also had a strong religious faith, which was typical of the era. They worshipped at two of the prominent Anglican churches in the city – All Saints Pro-Cathedral at View Hill in MacKenzie Street and St Paul’s Cathedral in Myers Street.

After completing his formal education, Ras gained employment at Bendigo’s premier drapery businesses, Myers of Pall Mall, where he worked as a window-dresser. He also played for the company’s cricket team in the Bendigo District competition. Rene and Kelly would eventually join their brother at the store.

However, all this promise nearly came to a sticky end when, on 11 June 1906, Ras had what could have been a disastrous accident. A rattling package and a fractious horse was never going to be an ideal combination. Ras was riding along the Mall, with the said package under his arm when his horse became panicked the noise. Witnesses watched as the horse ‘plunged violently’ until Ras was thrown off. Maintaining a tenacious hold on the reins was perhaps not the best idea – the momentum actually pulled the horse over onto him. No-one who saw the accident believed that Ras would survive the fall. But, as soon as the horse kicked clear, Ras jumped up, still holding both the reins and the package. A crowd of onlookers were amazed to see that, apart from a few cuts about his face and a severe shaking, Ras was not seriously injured. In fact, he immediately remounted and rode off as if nothing had happened. It seems appropriate and quite prophetic that Ras was described as ‘a gritty young Australian’ when the incident was reported in the local newspaper.
The death of Rasmus Hansen senior on 8 January 1909, was received with considerable sadness around the city. As an old colonist, the elderly gentleman was much respected throughout the Bendigo community. For his grandson, Ras, the loss was significant, but it would not be the last time in his young life that grief would pay such an important part.

In July the following year, Ras left his position at Myers after gaining employment at Farmer and Company, a retail empire and social institution in Pitt Street, Sydney. His supervisor, Mr William Vivian, presented him with a ‘handsome travelling bag and set of brushes’ on behalf of the employees of Myers, wishing the young man ‘every success in the future.’

However, a sudden double bereavement for the Hansen family was to have a deep and devastating impact.

When Rene Hansen left for a holiday with her aunt, Bright Hansen (wife of Christian’s brother, Martin “Barney” Hansen) at Clifton Hill, she was in the typically good health enjoyed by most 20-year-olds. Within a day or so of arriving, Rene suddenly became ill and ‘alarming complications ensued.’ Despite the best of care, she died on 25 May 1911. Clearly this was a shattering experience for her parents and her brothers, as Rene was quite a lovely girl. Sarah Hansen appears to have been hardest hit and her own health went into a dramatic decline. She died on 2 July 1912, aged just 46.

It was around this time that Ras Hansen began his association with Ballarat. After his brief adventure in Sydney, he moved to the golden city to take a position as head window-dresser at John Snow’s Emporium – the most prominent drapery business in Ballarat. When the position was advertised there were over twenty applicants from ‘all over the Commonwealth,’ and it was seen as quite a step up for the young man – the salary alone, at £300 a year was seen to be quite significant. He took rooms at 6 Errard Street north, which was conveniently just a few blocks walk from Snow’s in Sturt Street. (For those who are interested, Snow’s later became well-known as Patterson, Powell & Sandford, before taking on its present incarnation as Myers).

Ras also joined the Central Ballarat Cricket Club and played with the B-Grade side.

Although he served a brief 18-months with the 8th Australian Infantry Regiment in Bendigo, Ras did not look to join a Ballarat militia unit. However, when the world went to war in 1914, he was amongst the earliest volunteers. His brother, Kelly, had joined the Royal Australian Navy back in 1912, and was immediately on an active-duty footing onboard HMAT Australia.

Ras Hansen presented himself at the Ballarat Drill Hall in Curtis Street on 3 December 1914. Doctor A. B. Campbell conducted the medical examination and had no difficulty passing the young man fit for active duty – his height, at 5-feet 8¾-inches, was well over the minimum requirement, as was his expanded chest measurement of 40½-inches. Although there was no actual weight requirement, Ras tipped the scales at 145-pounds, indicating that he was quite a lean build. He had certainly inherited the colouring of his Danish forebears, with blue eyes, blonde hair and a fair complexion. In signing the necessary paperwork, Ras’ handwriting displayed an individual style that was mature and well-formed.

Christian Hansen, who had removed to Richmond following the deaths of his wife and only daughter, was named as Ras’ next-of-kin.

The day after he enlisted, Ras was assigned to the first reinforcements for the newly-raised 3rd Australian Light Horse Field Ambulance at the Broadmeadows Camp – it seems his proficiency on horseback had assured him a place within the ranks of the country’s most famous fighting unit. He was assigned the regimental number of 941.

The first reinforcements of the 3rd ALHFA (numbering just ten men) sailed from Port Melbourne on 2 February 1915, onboard HMAT Clan MacGillivray. The “old Clan” dropped anchor at their first major port of call, Colombo (in what was then Ceylon), at 4:20 on 21 February. The next day Ras and his comrades took part in a route march through the city streets to the Colombo Racetrack. They were back underway the next day.

After more than a month at sea, Ras watched as they passed through the historic Suez Canal. They reached Port Suez on 7 March before continuing on to Port Said and finally reaching Alexandria on the morning of 9 March. A train took the troops through to Cairo and they then route marched to Mena Camp.

When the AIF left Egypt in early April to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force for the launch of the Gallipoli Campaign, the Light Horse remained behind as the terrain on the peninsula was deemed unsuitable for the use of mounted troops. As a result, Ras was still outside Cairo when he succumbed to a mild bout of influenza that lead to him being admitted to the No2 General Hospital at Mena on 14 April. Fortunately, he made a speedy recovery and was unfit for duty for just nine days.

Now, this is where taking information on first impressions can prove to be extraordinarily misleading. Anyone reading Ras Hansen’s record of service would believe that he did not head to ANZAC for several months, after all, there were no further entries between his stay in hospital and leaving from Lemnos on 8 August. Fortunately, a number of other sources provide us with “filler” for the missing period of time. And so, Ras’ story becomes far more complete.
On 13 May, the 3rd LHFA was still at Heliopolis when orders were received that they were to leave for the Dardanelles as dismounted stretcher-bearers. Four days later they left Alexandria at daybreak bound for Gallipoli. After reaching Cape Helles at 1300 on 19 May, the ship was ordered to pull into Mudros Harbour. HMS Wolverine, a torpedo boat destroyer, was then tasked with carrying the men to ANZAC on 21 May, where they arrived at 15:45. Barges immediately carried the men through to the beach, where they assembled before heading into Light Horse Gully and ‘commenced to dig in.’
When Christian Hansen received a letter from his soldier son, it arrived in a most interesting envelope, made of khaki canvas with the ends and sides sewn together and the address written with an indelible pencil – the scarcity of paper and Gallipoli resulted in many and varied inventive alternatives.
‘…Just a few lines to let you know I am well and as happy as Larry, and so far have escaped the lead. We live as they did in pre-historic days-next to nature. We burrow into the side of a hill, and in those dugouts we live like rabbits. When we hear the shrapnel buzzing after us, into our caves we dive like hunted bunnies. We have the crack of the rifle, the roar of the cannon, the bark of the machine gun, the screech of the shrapnel, and the buzzing of the aeroplane all around us.
We live on bully beef and biscuits, and don't require any indigestion medicine after it. We go in swimming every day, but are often disturbed by some sniper or the bursting of the shrapnel all round us, and then it is on rush for clothes, and off home at the double. The weather here is just like summer in Australia, and suits us nicely.

Went to Malta from Alexandria on board the steamer Atlantia, as one of ten in charge of 450 wounded from the Dardanelles. You have no idea of the horrors of war until you see the wounded coming in…’

Ras included some photographs with his letter, and also told his father how they had been deployed at Gallipoli without their horses, that they were doing ‘Red Cross work’ armed only with revolvers. Without this letter, which was received late in July, nothing would have been known of Ras’ early time at Gallipoli; it was the vital piece of the puzzle.

The 3rd LHFA ferried backwards and forwards between ANZAC and Mudros caring for the wounded throughout this period. Ras returned to ANZAC on 3 August as the AIF prepared for the bloody Battle of Lone Pine – and the Light Horse rose to the slaughter at The Nek. Just four days after his return to the frontline, Ras Hansen was killed in action on 7 August 1915. His body was buried the next day by his comrades in the 3rd LHFA. The grave site was then by the stream called Aghyl Dere.

Once again, it came down to a letter that would explain what happened next. Ballarat’s John Mercer Walker, who was then a staff sergeant with the medical corps, wrote the following to his father.

'…Almost immediately upon the arrival of the corps in the Peninsula, we marched out and found the infantry had been doing great work. During the heavy fighting two of the stretcher-bearers, including poor Ras Hansen, were killed and numbers of others more or less seriously injured. I was very sorry to hear of Ras' death, as were also all who knew him, he being one of the finest fellows about. He was killed doing his best to help a wounded mate - just what one would expect of him. Our bearers had a great deal of work to do that day - 7th August - and had to carry the wounded down a gully absolutely swept with bursting shrapnel. But they kept at it without flinching from dusk the night previously till the Sunday without more than a biscuit and no rest. There were places where they had to rush down with their stretchers, and in one of these one of our party was hit with a number of others. Poor Ras rushed out from where he was taking shelter to help him, and received the full force of another exploding shell. He was killed instantaneously, being hit in the neck and head; but he died gloriously in an endeavour to save his mate's life - a hero's death…’
(Walker would later transfer to the Australian Flying Corps and was killed in action on 22 August 1918).

Many years later, Christian Hansen received a communication from Base Records informing him that work had begun to erect a permanent headstone over his son’s grave in the 7th Field Ambulance Cemetery. He was asked to complete the necessary form with the desired inscription. Christian chose a quote from Ecclesiasticus: ‘Their Glory Shall Not Be Blotted Out.’

Although there was an element of confusion as to where Ras Hansen had been buried – it was originally and erroneously reported that he had been buried in the Embarkation Pier Cemetery – this error was quickly rectified. But the authorities were never able to positively identify his exact burial place. As a consequence, “believed to be buried in this cemetery” was engraved at the top of the permanent headstone.

The story of Ras Hansen has a cautionary element for all historians: don’t rely on one set of records for the necessary information. Dig, and keep digging to clarify what the records aren’t telling you. If you believed his service record, Ras seemingly landed at ANZAC for the first time on 3 August and was tragically killed almost immediately. We now know that was not the case.