RACKHAM, George Arthur
| Service Numbers: | 2074, V5355 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 September 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 6th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Robe, South Australia, 12 December 1887 |
| Home Town: | Ararat, Ararat, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Christian Brothers' College, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Book Keeper |
| Died: | Ararat, Victoria, 25 October 1976, aged 88 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Ballarat New Cemetery and Crematorium, Victoria |
| Memorials: | Adelaide Christian Brothers' College WW1 Roll of Honor, Ararat Shire of Ararat WWI Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 10 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2074, 6th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 2074, 6th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 2074, 6th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2074, 6th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, WiA Gallipoli; GSW Scalp | |
| 13 Jul 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2074, 6th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, WiA Gallipoli – GSW head and back | |
| 3 Dec 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Sergeant Mechanic, 2074, 6th Infantry Battalion, embarked for service on the Western Front | |
| 27 Jan 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Sergeant Mechanic, 2074, 6th Infantry Battalion, WiA France; GSW head | |
| 8 Oct 1918: | Embarked AIF WW1, Sergeant, 2074, 6th Infantry Battalion, embarked Portsmouth for Sydney | |
| 31 Jan 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Sergeant, 2074, 6th Infantry Battalion |
World War 2 Service
| 16 Aug 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , V5355, 4th Training Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Dec 1942: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , V5355, 6th Training Battalion |
Help us honour George Arthur Rackham's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Sergeant George Arthur Rackham (Service No:2074) enlisted in the AIF as a Private on 10 September 1914, and was attached to 6th Infantry Battalion on 19 October 1914 when he embarked with his Unit from Melbourne for Alexandria on board HMAT A20 Hororata. Promoted to Sergeant in July 1914, he was WiA on two occasions during the Gallipoli Campaign (GSWs to scalp, head and back) before embarking for service on the Western Front on 3 December 1915. Sergeant Rackham served with 6th Infantry Battalion in France and Flanders (including Pozieres and the Somme), and was WiA on 27 January 1917 (GSW head). Sergeant Rackham then embarked from Portsmouth for Sydney on 8 October 1918, and was attached to 6th Infantry Battalion at Discharge on 31 January 1919. In WWII, Private Rackham (Service No:V5355) served in the ACMF with 4th and 6th Training Battalions (16 August 1940 - 24 December 1942). Three of his children (sons Edward and Neville, and daughter Margery) served in WWII.
George was born in Robe, South Australia in 1887, fourth of eight children of John Richard Wilby Rackham (b1856 in Robe, South Australia) and Ellen Hitchcock (b1860 in Riverton, South Australia). John and Ellen married in Kingsley in 1880 and lived in Port MacDonnell, Beachport, Robe, Crystal Brook, Bool Lagoon and Lucindale, where they raised their family and John was a Farmer/Grazier. John and Ellen moved to Cathcart via Ararat in the early 1900s, where Ellen was Licensee of the Denicul Creek Hotel. John died in 1917, and in the early 1920s Ellen moved to Melbourne.
George was working as a Book Keeper at Denicul Creek in 1914 when he enlisted in the AIF. Following his Discharge in 1919, he returned to Denicul Creek and worked as a Book Keeper before moving to Melbourne. In 1920 George was working as an Iron Moulder in Melbourne when he married Amy Griffin (nee Bates; b1889 in Creswick, Victoria) - Amy was a Widow with an infant son. George and Amy settled in Melbourne, where they raised their family and George worked as an Iron Moulder and Builder. In 1931 they moved their family to Ararat, where George worked as a Mental Asylum Attendant, and served in the ACMF. Following Amy's death in 1953, George retired to Ballarat. George died in 1976 in Ararat.
Click images to start slideshow.