Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

A Sydney newspaper of 1915 reported that George Duffin was a Rugby League player, who wore the Glebe colors in football and cricket, and played for Queensland and Australia in the League Rugby.

George was a Pioneer Wests fullback, originally from Ashfield, transferred to Queensland in 1909 and played for Toombul, one of the four foundation clubs in Brisbane's domestic competition. Duffin was a centre in the Queensland v NZ match before making his way into Australia's Second Test team in Brisbane as a winger. Australia won the match 10-5. He also captained Queensland against NZ.

Duffin was also a very fine first grade cricketer who could open both the batting and was an effective bowler.

Duffin and other men in the 18th Battalion only had a few weeks training in Egypt before being shipped to Gallipoli, landing on the Peninsula on 20 August 1915. Unfortunately, the new men from the 18th Battalion were thrown into a badly planned attack on Hill 60 only a few days later, which caused heavy casualties in the unit.

George Duffin was one of those who died in the attack, but his body was never found and there were various misleading reports that he had been captured and was being held as a prisoner of war. An inquiry nearly two years later found that he probably died at Gallipoli "on or about August 22”. Many 18th Battalion dead were lost in ravines and gullies in very broken scrubby country, much of which was set on fire during the battle by artillery bursts.

George’s older brother, 391 Pte. Richard Henry Duffin 19th Battalion AIF was later killed in action on the 6 November 1917, aged 39.

They were both the sons of John and Henrietta Duffin. Their mother had died in 1903, when George was only 16 years of age, and their father Jack lived in Manly NSW.

.