MCKENZIE, George Thomas
| Service Number: | 3915 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 29 October 1915, Enlisted at Dubbo. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 18th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Canowindra, New South Wales, Australia, 15 April 1891 |
| Home Town: | Orange, Orange Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Night Officer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 3 May 1917, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
Queant Road Cemetery, Buissy, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 29 Oct 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3915, 18th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Dubbo. | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Jan 1916: | Involvement Private, 3915, 18th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Jan 1916: | Embarked Private, 3915, 18th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Runic, Sydney | |
| 5 Aug 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 3915, 18th Infantry Battalion, McKenzie was wounded with shrapnel injuries to his left knee. From the 2nd Field Ambulance he was transferred to the 44th Casualty Clearing Station, then the 25th Ambulance Train and then to England on the Hospital Ship ‘St Denis’. He was admitted to the Wharncliffe War Hospital, Sheffield, where the knee injury was described as severe. Several weeks later he was discharged to the 1st Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield and then to Woodcote Park, Epsom. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
George Thomas McKENZIE (Service Number 3915) was born on 15th April 1891 at Canowindra. He first worked for the NSW Government Railways as a probationer in the Electrical Branch at Orange from 18th July 1906. \McKenzie was ‘Dismissed. Unsatisfactory report from officer-in-charge as to McKenzie’s services away from home.’
In July 1908 he became a junior porter in the Traffic Branch and on his 21st birthday, a porter. Soon he progressed to be a night officer at Polona and then at Warnecliffe, back to Polona and then Orange. In May 1914 his job was described as ‘Relief Night Officer’. It was from this role that he was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces on 16th September 1915.
McKenzie enlisted at Dubbo on 29th October 1915. He described himself as a Railway Employee and as unmarried, giving his father living in Marrickville as his next of kin. He had also been a member of the Railway Rifle Club. He was allotted to the 9th Reinforcements to the 18th Australian Infantry Battalion. McKenzie embarked HMAT ‘Runic’ at Sydney on 20th January 1916 and reached Alexandria (Egypt) on 26th February. He only stayed in Egypt for a month before embarking at Alexandria for passage to the Western Front in France through Marseilles where he disembarked on 3rd April. He was taken on the strength of the 2nd Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples on 4th April and the 18th Battalion on 1st June.
McKenzie was wounded in action on 5th August 1916 with shrapnel injuries to his left knee. From the 2nd Field Ambulance he was transferred to the 44th Casualty Clearing Station and the 25th Ambulance Train and then to England on the Hospital Ship ‘St Denis’. He was admitted to the Wharncliffe War Hospital, Sheffield, where the knee injury was described as severe. Several weeks later he was discharged to the 1st Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield and then to Woodcote Park, Epsom. At the end of October, he was fit enough to be granted two weeks furlough with a stipulation that he report to the Command Depot not later than 3.30 pm on 15th November. He spent the rest of 1916 at Australian depots in England and on 16th January 1917 proceeded overseas to France embarked on ‘Princess Clementina’.
In February 1917 he was promoted to Acting Corporal, though six weeks later he reverted to Private. McKenzie finally re-joined the 18th Battalion on 5th April 1917.
On 3rd May 1917 he was reported missing in action. This report of his status was not changed until 4th December 1917 when it was upgraded to Killed in Action.
McKenzie has a grave in the Queant Road British Cemetery, 1½ miles North East of Queant, 8¾ miles West North West of Cambrai.
There are several reports of McKenzie’s death and they generally agree. Cpl J H Swan (3958) stated:
‘McKenzie and Pte. Burrell and myself were intimate friends and we were in the same Coy, and we all went over together in the attack at Bullecourt on May 3rd 1917. A few minutes after the attack commenced I got separated from them and heard no more of them till about a fortnight after the stunt when I heard from Burrell who was wounded and in Blighty and in his letter he told me that soon after we separated on May 3rd 1917 a shell landed by the side of McKenzie and himself killing the former and wounding him. McKenzie was tall and well built and about 22-years-old. He came from N.S.Wales and was a Night Officer on N.S.W. railway line.’
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board