FAIRBAIRN, George
| Service Number: | 245 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 August 1914, at Morphettville |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Light Trench Mortar Battery |
| Born: | Kelso, Scotland, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Fireman |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 24 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 245, 10th Infantry Battalion, at Morphettville | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 245, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 245, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Adelaide | |
| 17 May 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 3rd Light Trench Mortar Battery | |
| 24 Jul 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Corporal, 245, 3rd Light Trench Mortar Battery, Battle for Pozières , GSW right hand |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
George Fairbairn was born on the 13th of April 1887. He was born in a cottage they called Softlaw cottage which was in Kelso, Scotland. However, he moved and lived in Pirie Street, Adelaide, South Australia throughout the time of the war. Unlike many others during this time, George was a firefighter. Firefighters engaged in very hazardous atmospheres due to a multitude of new chemicals and plastics present. He was a believer of the Baptist religion, a group of Protestant Christians that have different beliefs on baptism rituals. Like many others, he was single. His father, John Fairbairn still lived in Berwickshire, Scotland and was the next of kin. His service number was 245 which is significant when locating records about him.
27-year-old George enlisted for the war on the 24th of August 1914 as a private, the lowest and most common rank. He was part of a unit called the 10th Battalion which together with the 9th, 11th and 12th battalions formed the 3rd Brigade. They embarked from Adelaide, South Australia on board the A11 Ascanius on the 20th of October 1914. After training in Egypt, George landed on Gallipoli on the first day with his battalion.
A few months later, on the 24th of August 1915, he was attached for duty to Trench Mortar Battery. Exactly a month later, George’s promotion to a Lance Corporal was announced but he wasn’t promoted until May in 1916. On the 27th of November 1915, he was admitted to the No.5 General Hospital with a case of jaundice and bronchitis. Jaundice is a term used in describing the yellowish tinge to the skin and the white areas of the eye. Bronchitis is the inflammation of the larger airways in your lungs.
Two days later, the 29th of November, he was admitted by a field ambulance in Mudros for his arthritis in his hip. He was transferred to No.3 Australian General Hospital on the same day. The No.3 Australian General Hospital was deployed in Mudros to nurse the sick and injured troops who fought in the Gallipoli campaign.
On the 8th of May the following year, George was transferred to the 3rd Brigade 3/1 Trench Mortar from the 10thBattalion. 9 days later, on the 17th of May 1916 he was promoted to a Corporal rank. He then travelled to France when he was wounded in action at Pozieres and admitted to the 13th General Hospital on the 26th of July 1916. George then embarked on the H.S Stad Antwerpen from Calais to England. The next day, he was admitted to the 2nd Eastern General Hospital. On September 21st, he was admitted to the 2nd Eastern General Hospital. Later that year, he was reprimanded and forfeited 1 days pay for being absent without leave from the 3rd of November 1916 to the 4th of November 1916.
After countless injuries in his hip, he once again was admitted to the 1st Aux Hospital for a broken hip on the 5th of March 1917. He was discharged 11 days later for furlough (granted leave). He was to report to No.2 Com. Depot Wymth. On the 31st of that month, he was reprimanded and had to forfeit three days pay for overstaying furlough.
After serving 3 years and 144 days in the A.I.F, he was discharged in London on the 14th of January 1918 because he was classified permanently unfit for general service. This was due to his stiffness in his right leg and limited movements. He was unable to flex his limb properly and walked with his foot everted. Essentially this means his foot was outwards or inside out. The injury was as a result of an accident on duty at Gallipoli in which his femur was fractured and then again hurt in France. By this time, George was 29 years old and 5 months. On the 12 of April 1918 he was awarded his final payment. His intended place of residence was in Darlington, Yorks. After the war, he engaged in forestry work in British East Africa.