George Lewis Blake CONCANON MID

CONCANON, George Lewis Blake

Service Number: Officer
Enlisted: 23 September 1914, Sydney
Last Rank: Captain
Last Unit: 2nd Infantry Battalion
Born: Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 4 February 1881
Home Town: Wahroonga, Ku-ring-gai, New South Wales
Schooling: Toowoomba Grammar School, The Armidale School NSW, Hawkesbury Agricultural College NSW, The Leys School, England & Cambridge University, England
Occupation: Independant means
Died: Killed In Action, Gallipoli Peninsular, 27 April 1915, aged 34 years
Cemetery: No known grave - "Known Unto God"
Memorials: Armidale School War Memorial Gates, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing, Richmond University of Western Sydney WW1 Memorial, Toowoomba Grammar School WW1 Honour Board, Toowoomba Grammar School WW1 In Memoriam Honour Board, Toowoomba War Memorial (Mothers' Memorial), Wahroonga St Andrew's Anglican Church WW1 Honour Roll
Show Relationships

World War 1 Service

23 Sep 1914: Enlisted AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 2nd Infantry Battalion, Sydney
18 Oct 1914: Involvement AIF WW1, 2nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suffolk embarkation_ship_number: A23 public_note: ''
18 Oct 1914: Embarked Captain, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suffolk, Sydney
27 Apr 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 2nd Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, "H" Company, 1st Infantry Brigade
27 Apr 1915: Honoured Mention in Dispatches, ANZAC / Gallipoli, For conspicuous gallantry

Scouting Connection

George was a former member of the Kuringai Scout Committee and an Honorary Badge Examiner.

He is named on the UK Scout Association's First World War Roll of Honour
https://heritage.scouts.org.uk/exhibitions/scouting-in-the-first-world-war/

Military Service at Hornsby, Sydney for George

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/86102525?searchTerm=concanon%20gallipoli&searchLimits=


Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), Saturday 29 May 1915, page 8


Honoring the Heroes.

Memorial Service at Hornsby

Close on a thousand people attended the service, held at Hornsby on Sunday afternoon in memory of the late Captain G. L. B. Concanon, lately in charge of D Company, 10th Infantry, who was killed in action at the Dardanelles. The military and civilian brass bands played a number of selections before the service, and provided the music at the service. The ninth Infantry, under Colonel Jacobs, and the cadets, were present in uniform. The people sung the hymn 'Onward, Christian Soldiers.' Rev. A. L. Wade led the prayers, and then Kipling's Recessional was sung.

Rev. S. E. Langford Smith preached on the text, 'Greater Love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life to save his friend.

They were met together to do honour to the memory of a brave man who had laid down his life in the cause of his king. and country. Today, they were saddened by the great wave of sorrow which had come to so many homes, it had come to the home of their late gallant commander as well as to the homes of some of those present.

Captain Concanon was a military enthusiast, and was a comrade in arms to many present. In this war the Empire was fighting for the best and noblest objects, for the defence of the weak, and for the maintenance of liberty and security, of truth and honour. Brave men had laid down their lives in that great attack on Gallipoli, and their bravery will never be forgotten.

For a comparatively small body of men to land on an enemy shore, which, was strongly fortified and defended by 600,000 troops; for them to land in the darkness of the early morning, ignorant of the number of foes that might be and were awaiting them, to land where there was no landing place-, under a hail of bullets; to leap into the sea and rush the beach without any cover from the merciless fire; to rush forward to the cliffs where the enemy was concealed in unknown strength; and to take and hold the ridge -whilst the rest of the troops wore landing, those were deeds worthy of the highest traditions of the British race, and would be recorded on the imperishable scroll of history to the glory of Australia and the British Empire.

Such was the landing on the 25th. April. Many of the men whilst being rowed to the shore know that they were face to face with unknown perils. Some, they know, wore face to face with the great Eternity, and that was a situation which called for the utmost courage. In such circumstances, there is nothing, he said, which would stand by a man as the conviction that his sins have been blotted out; that he has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus: The deed they did will be recorded in history as a glorious feat..

Sir Tan Hamilton had sent a message of praise in which he said "How gloriously the Australians and Indian contingents have upheld the traditions of the Empire" The Australians have created for their country an imperishable record of military virtue.

The English press wrote of the deed in these words: The extraordinary difficulties of the landing were overcome by the Australians' determination. It is doubtful if any other troops in the world could have carried it through so successfully. The soldiers of Australia have most nobly made good.
Had Australia done its share If she had, we would have 200,000 men at the front, instead of 30,000; and our factories would be turning but war munitions instead of luxuries. The Empire is calling her sons from across the seas, as she has never called before. We are up against a powerful, determined and unscrupulous foe; our Empire is fighting for its existence; and our honour and liberty are at stake.

Their forefathers , and he hoped there were none present — who had tried to keep their sons at home. He would not like to be those fathers in three or four years time. He had no sons old enough to go, but if he had he would bid them go, and not stay at home, and shirk their duty.

The 'Last Post' was sounded, and then the National Anthem was sung. After; the service the bands marched to the park, where they played a number of selections.

Read more...
Showing 2 of 2 stories

Biography contributed by Sharyn Roberts

George Lewis Blake CONCANON was born on 4th February, 1881 in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Queensland

He was the only son of William Augustus CONCANON and Elizabeth Lloyd JENKINS

On 6th November, 1910 he married Evelyn Etta ROYLE in Wahroonga, NSW & had one daughter - Patricia Elizabeth Blake CONCANON

George had previously served in the Sherwood Foresters Militia in Derbyshire, England, where he was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on 26th June 1901 & the 4th Battalion CMF and 19th Infantry (based in Gladesville, Sydney)  

He received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the old Irish Rifles (now the 33rd Infantry) in October 1910 and in April, 1913 was promoted to the rank of Captain.

On the formation of the 19th Infantry (Kuring -gai) Infantry he was transferred to that regiment & took over the command of the Hornsby Company where he remained until he went with the Expeditionary Force

He enlisted as a Captain in Sydney on 23rd September, 1914 and embarked from Sydney with the 2nd Battalion, H Company, 1st Infantry Brigade on the Transport ship Suffolk on 18th October, 1914

In the NSW Irish Rifle Regiment - 1st Battalion he was provisionally promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on the 31st October & promoted to Captain , H Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Battalion on the 17th July, 1914 - he was appointed as Company Commander (C Company) on 1st January, 1915 of the 2nd Infantry Battalion

George was Killed in Action on 27th April, 1915 in the Gallipoli Peninsular - he has no known grave & his name is memorialised on the Lone Pine Cemetery & Memorial, The Australian War Memorial, The Wahroonga War Memorial, the Memorial headstone at St Johns Cemetery, Gordon, Sydney in his Mothers family Plot, Royle family No. C, Row BB, Plot 32, & the Leys School, Cambridge  War Memorial 1914 -1919 (England)

He had served in both Egypt & Gallipoli and was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal & the Victory Medal and also Mention in Dispatches on 27th April, 1915 for conspicious gallantry

----------------

His Uncle, Major Richard Lewis Hay Blake JENKINS was also Killed in Action at Gallipoli on 11th December, 1915

----------------

                   "MAY THEY REST IN PEACE"

Read more...

Biography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon

He went to The Leys School in 1896 at the age of 15 and went into North A House. He was a Prefect and won First Colours at Football.

He is one of three Australian casualties of the Great War who are commemorated on the Leys School War Memorial.

On leaving school, he won a History Scholarship to King’s College, University of Cambridge. After illness curtailed his studies, he travelled widely before settling in New South Wales, Australia.

He held a commission in the Sherwood Foresters until 1903 and was a Major in the Citizens Forces.Commonwealth Militia Forces-formerly Lieutenantattached Manchester Regiment [Regulars]

At the outbreak of war, he joined the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Brigade, Australian Infantry and served with distinction in the Dardanelles. He was killed in action at Gallipoli on 27 April 1915 at the age of 34, having reached the rank of Captain.

 

Read more...