George CUPIT

CUPIT, George

Service Numbers: 857, 867
Enlisted: 25 February 1916, An original of C Company
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 39th Infantry Battalion
Born: Deniliquin, New South Wales, Australia, 1886
Home Town: Deniliquin, Deniliquin, New South Wales
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Cook
Died: Killed in Action, Belgium, 30 April 1917
Cemetery: Strand Military Cemetery, Ploegsteert, Wallonie, Belgium
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Deniliquin Presbyterian Church Roll of Honour, Deniliquin War Memorial
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World War 1 Service

25 Feb 1916: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 857, 39th Infantry Battalion, An original of C Company
27 May 1916: Involvement Private, 867, 39th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: ''
27 May 1916: Embarked Private, 867, 39th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Melbourne
30 Apr 1917: Involvement Private, 857, 39th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 857 awm_unit: 39th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-04-30

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Biography contributed by Stephen Brooks

George Cupit and his brother Hugh enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force together in February 1916. They were the sons of Hannah Cupit of Wood Street Deniliquin. Their dad had passed away in 1911. They originally signed up in Deniliquin, but George was sent to Melbourne for another examination before being accepted. He passed, and both men were posted to the 39th Battalion with consecutive regimental numbers.

On 30 April 1917 the 39th Battalion were in the front lines near the Belgian town of Ploegsteert. At around 4 am the Germans began an intense artillery barrage and launched a raid against part of the Australian line. Men of the 39th Battalion managed to drive off a party of as many as 80 enemy soldiers, but suffered more than 60 casualties from enemy shell-fire, including 14 killed, one of whom was George Cupit.

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