Walter Henry Hannam (1885–1965) was an Australian wireless experimenter, a founding member of the Wireless Institute of Australia, wireless operator and mechanic on the

Australasian Antarctic Expedition The Australasian Antarctic Expedition was a 1911–1914 expedition headed by Douglas Mawson that explored the largely uncharted Antarctic coast due south of Australia. Mawson had been inspired to lead his own venture by his experiences on Ernest ...

, a member of the ANZAC Wireless Company in World War I, and tireless promoter of amateur radio in the 1920s.

Early life and family

Hannam was born in 1885 in

Burwood, New South Wales Burwood is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Municipality of Burwood. People f ...

. He studied at the Sydney Technical College and was awarded a diploma in science. He was a founding member of the

Wireless Institute of Australia The Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) was formed in 1910, and is the first and oldest national amateur radio society in the world. It represents the amateur radio operators of Australia as the AR "peak body" in dealings with the Austral ...

Wireless experiments

Antarctic expeditioner

Hannam was selected as part of the

. He helped to set up the wireless equipment on the Macquarie Islands. He is credited with being the first person to establish wireless contact with Australia from Antarctica. He set up the wireless equipment at the main base and remained at

Cape Denison Cape Denison is a rocky point at the head of Commonwealth Bay in George V Land, Antarctica. It was discovered in 1912 by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (1911–14) under Douglas Mawson, who named it for Sir Hugh Denison of Sydney, a pa ...

as wireless operator for two summers and one winter. On his departure in February 1913,

Sidney Jeffryes Sidney Harry Jeffryes (20 July 1884 – 16 October 1942)Leane, E., Maddison, B. & Norris, K. (2019). Beyond the Heroic Stereotype: Sidney Jeffryes and the Mythologising of Australian Antarctic History. Australian Humanities Review, (64), 1-23. ...

took over his post as wireless operator.

Military service

Circa 1910, Hannam was closely involved with Captain

George Augustine Taylor George Augustine Taylor (1 August 1872 – 20 January 1928) was an Australian artist, journalist, and inventor. Life Taylor was born at Sydney in 1872. He began his working life articled to an architect (a Mr Hobbs). However, he first became k ...

in a number of successful demonstrations to the military as to the potential uses of wireless telegraphy. Following the commencement of World War I, Hannam enlisted on 2 June 1915 in the Australian Imperial Forces, embarked for France and commenced duties in the field workshops. He was a large man and struggled with a number of medical issues. But his previous wireless experience was identified and he was transferred to the ANZAC Wireless Coy. The Wireless Coy. was eventually renamed Australian Army Signal Corps. He was discharged on 7 November 1919.HANNAM Walter Henry : Service Number – 6946 : Place of Birth – Burwood NSW : Place of Enlistment – Sydney NSW : Next of Kin – (Father) HANNAM W H, Series Number B2455, National Archives of Australia He served as an engineer in the Australian Motor Transport Corps.

Electrical business

After his war service, Hannam established an electrical business. He married Elizabeth Bielby in 1927. He died in 1965 in

Terrigal Terrigal is a coastal town in the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, located east of Gosford on the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the local government area. History Terrigal was first settled in 1826 by European Settler John Gray, ...

Legacy

* Founding member of Wireless Institute of Australia, the world's oldest established national radio body. * With Taylor, Kirkby and Wilkinson, participated in early demonstration of wireless in Australian military. * Hannam is credited as being the first person to play football on the Antarctic mainland. * First use of wireless on Macquarie Island. * First use of radio on Antarctica. * In 1914 he was awarded the

Polar Medal The Polar Medal is a medal awarded by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom to individuals who have outstanding achievements in the field of polar research, and particularly for those who have worked over extended periods in harsh climates. It ...

for his work on the expedition. * The Hannam Islands, a group of three islands in Commonwealth Bay is named for him. * The Australian Antarctic Divisions’ Walter Hannam Building honours his achievements. * Awarded patent for "Improvements in rapid type electric water heaters for bath and other domestic service", subsequently successfully marketed

References

* Australian Antarctic Division. ''Walter Henry Hannam (1885–1965)'
online
* Australian Antarctic Division. ''Home of the Blizzard, Walter Henry Hannam'' (Webpage
Online
* Australian Antarctic Data Centre. ''Gazetteer, Hannam Islands'' (Webpage
Online
* Ayres, Philip. ''Mawson: a life'' (1st ed. Melbourne, 1999
TroveNLAGoogle Books
* Carty, Bruce. ''Australian Radio History'' (4th ed. Sydney, 2013

* Cormick, Craig. ''In Bed with Douglas Mawson: Travels Around Antarctica'' (New Holland Publishers, 2011
Trove
https://books.google.com.au/books?isbn=1921836350 Google Books] * Curnow, Geoffrey Ross. ''The history of the development of wireless telegraphy and broadcasting in Australia to 1942, with especial reference to the Australian Broadcasting Commission: a political and administrative study''
online
* Friends of Mawson. ''Friends of Mawson''. (Website
Online
(excellent reading list and newsletter archive) * Mawson, Douglas. ''The home of the blizzard : an Australian hero's classic tale of Antarctic discovery and adventure'' (Unabridged, two volumes), (W. Heinemann, London, 1915
TroveNLA
* Mawson, Douglas. ''The home of the blizzard : an Australian hero's classic tale of Antarctic discovery and adventure'' (Abridged, one volume) (Wakefield Press, Adelaide, 2010
TroveNLA
* Mawson, Douglas. ''The home of the blizzard : an Australian hero's classic tale of Antarctic discovery and adventure'' (Electronic edition)
Online
(Includes full PDF) * Ross, John F. ''Radio Broadcasting Technology, 75 Years of Development in Australia 1923–1998'' (J. F. Ross, 1998

* Wireless Institute of Australia (editor Wolfenden, Peter). ''Wireless Men & Women at War, Article 1, Walter Hannam'' (Wireless Institute of Australia, Melbourne, 2017

External links

Walter Hannam's diaries from the Australasian Antarctic Expedition
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hannam, Walter Henry Explorers of Antarctica 1885 births 1965 deaths Australasian Antarctic Expedition Australian military personnel of World War I