GREEN, George Henry
| Service Number: | 3315 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 47th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 17 January 1897 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Shipping clerk |
| Died: | Killed in action, Dernancourt, France, 5 April 1918, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3315, 15th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 3315, 15th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Seang Bee embarkation_ship_number: A48 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 3315, 15th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Seang Bee, Brisbane | |
| 5 Apr 1918: | Involvement Private, 3315, 47th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3315 awm_unit: 47th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-04-05 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
George Henry Green was only 18 years age when he enlisted in Brisbane during August 1915. He was transferred to the 47th Battalion when he arrived in Egypt. He was badly wounded in the back at Pozieres on 10 August 1916 and evacuated to England. He rejoined his unit during December 1917 and was reported missing at Dernancourt.
On the morning of 5 April 1918, two and a half German divisions attacked the railway embankment the 47th Battalion was defending at Dernancourt and overran parts or all of their positions, particularly the A Company lines at the embankment, close to the railway bridge. Most of the Australians in A Company of the 47th Battalion were killed or captured by the swarms of German storm troops, resulting in defending troops on the flanks having to withdraw.
According to his Red Cross wounded and missing file George was serving with A Company and his body was seen lying near the trenches by his mates who were soon after captured. One said that George had been a clerk in Hutton’s bacon factory in Brisbane.
His body was never found and his few personal effects were lost when the ship carrying them, the ‘Barunga’ was torpedoed on its way to Australia.
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