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Department of Premier and Cabinet

Company Sergeant Major Roland Horace Dennis DCM

A young woman reading a report in a park Roland Horace Dennis

Company Sergeant Major Roland Horace Dennis DCM of Perth, Tasmania, embarked for World War One on 20 October 1914 and was one of the first to land on the shores of Gallipoli on 25 April 1915.

On the Western Front, Company Sergeant Major Dennis was involved in major battles such at Mouquet Farm.  As part of the 4th Division, Company Sergeant Major Dennis was involved in the Battle of Polygon Wood in which soldiers fought to secure positions surrounding a small forest near the Belgium town of Zonnebeke.  It was during this conflict that he earned his Distinguished Conduct Medal.

Roland's best friend throughout the war was Sergeant David Henry Allan who was hit with the same shell on 25 April 1918. The two enlisted together, were buried together and rest next to each other at the Adelaide Cemetery at Villers Bretonneux.

Company Sergeant Major Roland Horace Dennis DCM was researched by Laura Winter, of Launceston Church Grammar School, for the Frank MacDonald Memorial Study Tour in 2022.

Read Laura Winter's research about Company Sergeant Major Roland Horace Dennis DCM.