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Australia

George was the son of George Henry SULLIVAN & Catherine MCQUILLAN and was born on the 24th of June 1895 in Mary Street, Glanville, SA.

His parents were married on the 2nd of November 1889 in the Wesleyan Parsonage, Pt Adelaide, SA.

His father was the son of John SULLIVAN & Katharina SCHMIDT and was born on the 24th of July 1867 in The Esplanade, Sandridge, VIC.

His mother was the daughter of John Alexander MCQUILLAN & Ann O’NEIL and was born on the 24th of April 1873 in Exeter, SA.

George was the fourth child born into this family of 9 children.

His father was a silver refiner and the family lived at Mary Street, Glanville.

They then moved to 34 Carlisle Street, Ethelton and George attended the Glanville Public School.

On leaving school George gained employment as a labourer and in 1912 he joined the 76th Infantry, F Company (Hindmarsh) in 1912.

At the age of 19, George enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 7th of December 1914 in Oaklands and allotted the service number 1339 and posted to the 16th Battalion, 2nd Reinforcements.
His father signed consent for him to enlist as he was underage.

George embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A46 Clan Mcgillivray on the 2nd of February 1915, disembarked Pt Suez in early March and entrained to Zeitoun, Cairo about 100 miles from Alexandria.
They then marched 2 miles to Heliopolis Camp, in the desert.

He embarked for Lemnos on the 11th of April and landed at Gallipoli on the afternoon of the 25th of April.
He suffered a Gun Shot Wound to his left thigh & groin and Quinn’s Post and was evacuated to Malta.

Whilst he was recovering, back home in Australia, his only brother Charles, enlisted into the 1st AIF and was posted to the 32nd Battalion as a reinforcement (2122).

He rejoined his Battalion in Egypt and later proceeded to France where he suffered a Gun Shot Wound to his left hand and was evacuated to England.
When recovering he went AWOL for a month and was sentence to 7 months imprisonment by a Court Martial.
After serving his time he rejoined his Battalion in France but was wounded again, suffering from a Gun Shot Wound to the right side of his face and right testicle.
He was evacuated to England and once he had recovered he was attached for duty at the 2nd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Southall.

George was granted fulo on the 4th of March 1919 and on return he was transferred to the AAMC (Australian Army Medical Corps) Training Depot.

George embarked for Australia on the 25th of March 1919 on board HT Port Denison as nursing staff.
He disembarked in Adelaide on the 6th of May and was discharged from the 1st AIF on the 18th of August 1919.

He moved back home and lived with his parents at 34 Carlisle Street, Ethelton and regained employment as a labourer.

George died on the 20th of May 1940 in the Keswick Repatriation Hospital and was buried 2 days later in the Cheltenham Cemetery; Heritage Park, Drive B, Path 38, Site Number 313.

He was buried with his infant sister, Edith May and his SULLIVAN grandparents, John & Kathleen.

SULLIVAN.—On the 20th of May at the Repatriation Hospital Keswick, George Henry Sullivan, late 16th Battalion AIF (Anzac) dearly beloved eldest son of Mr and Mrs. G. H. Sullivan, of 34 Carlisle Street. Ethelton, aged 43 years.
Requiescat in pace.

SULLIVAN —THE FHIENDS of the late Mr. GEORGE HENRY SULLIVAN, late 16th Battalion AIF (Anzac) are respectfully informed that his Funeral will leave his late residence. 34 Carlisle Street, Ethelton on WEDNESDAY, at 2pm for the Catholic Cemetery, Cheltenham.
SIDNEY HARRISON, Undertaker.

Military

At the age of 19, George enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 7th of December 1914 in Oaklands and allotted the service number 1339 and posted to the 16th Battalion, 2nd Reinforcements.
He listed his mother, of Carlisle Street, Glanville, as his next of kin.
His father signed consent for him to enlist as he was underage.

George embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A46 Clan Mcgillivray on the 2nd of February 1915, disembarked Pt Suez in early March and entrained to Zeitoun, Cairo about 100 miles from Alexandria.
They then marched 2 miles to Heliopolis Camp, in the desert.

Here they practised divisional exercise over the Egyptian sand and night operations were also practised and plenty of musketry and machine gun fire was given on the rifle range and in the desert.

On the 22nd of March they paraded east of Zeitoun, when the division was inspected by His Excellency the High Commissioner, Sir Henry McMahon, General Hamilton, General Birdwood and some French officers were also present.
On the 11th of April they marched from Heliopolis to Cairo railway station and entrained in two trains and reached Alexandria early the following morning.
They then marched to the wharf at which the transport A28 Haida Paseha was berthed.
The total number that embarked represented 821 of all ranks, 89 horses, 9 timbered wagons, 1 maltese cart, 2 water carts, 4 G.S. wagons and 2 cookers.

During the day it was noticed that 277,000 rounds of S.A.A. (small arms ammunition) put on board were not supplied with chargers. Attention was drawn to this and 23 boxes of chargers were supplied about half an hour before leaving the wharf.

The ship cast off the wharf at 6pm and anchored in the harbour until the following morning when they weighed anchor at 4.10pm on the 12th of April and put to sea.
The next day a breakdown in the engine room caused a delay of about five hours.
At 7.30am on the 14th, in the passage between Rhode’s Island and Searpanto, it was reported that an object had been passed about half an hour previously having resemblance to a lighter or something of that sort. On investigation, it was found to be an empty steel lighter of about 200 tons capacity. As this was likely to be of use the Haida Paseha took it in tow and it was eventually handed over to the navy.

The 23 boxes of chargers when opened for issue were found to contain only 600 chargers apiece, 13,800 in all against 50,800 required. It was decided to issue ammunition as far as it would go and to make special representation on arrival at Mudros.
Deck space had been almost entirely utilised for horse stalls, conveniences, wash houses or ship’s gear, so that no space at all was available for training. The crowded nature of the ship resulted in everyone experiencing the utmost discomfort which was increased by the activities of the vermin which swarmed everywhere in the vessel.

They arrived at Lemnos at 6:30pm on the 15th and anchored outside the boom across Mudros Harbour. The next morning they moved inside and anchored about 400 yards from the boom entrance. The scene in the harbour baffled description as in its capacious waters were hundreds of ships of all shapes and sizes including transports and men-o’-war (both British and French).

For the next three days they practised in landing from the ship’s boats, which was an operation which demanded much repetition before the requisite speed and lack of confusion in completing the operation was obtained. This training was carried out in marching order, but only the men were disembarked for the reason that no lighters were available for the horse’s wagons, etc.

The 20th and 21st found a strong wind with rain and the water in the harbour was too rough for a continuance of this work.
On the 22nd the weather moderated and by this time all ranks were anxiously awaiting the orders which would set them, travelling a further stage to the “real thing”
This was realised when, on the 23rd, the order was received and the King’s message read to the battalion.

The next day, 24th, the companies were issued with the last of their field service equipment including one pick or one shovel per man.

About noon on April 25th they weighed anchor and put to sea.
During the morning distant firing was heard, which announced that the Australians were in action at last.
Approaching the shore of Gallipoli about 4pm, all that could be seen from the ship was a thick haze of blue smoke and flashes of guns ahead.
Battleships and destroyers were numerous and very busy bombarding the shore where the 3rd Australian Brigade had landed at daybreak.
From right to left the ships of the navy were spread like the ribs of a fan, each battleship and cruiser having an allotted section of the coast to attend to with its enormous guns.
The work of disembarking the rest of the 1st Australian Division was actively in progress and destroyers were fussing about between transports and the shore, towing long lines of boats, laden to the gunwales with Australian soldiers.

The covering force, the 3rd Brigade, had succeeded in effecting a landing at daybreak on the 25th and during the day the rest of the 1st Division had disembarked and been absorbed into heavy fighting in the tangle of hills and gullies that skirted the coast of ANZAC.

At about 5.30pm George and the 16th Battalion came ashore.
The destroyer “Ribble” and the open boats from which the landing was made were heavily shelled, but there were only half a dozen casualties.
As soon as they reached the shore they were ordered to move to the top of Monash Valley with a mixed column of all the troops available.
The light was failing and the pace was slow and as they filed into Shrapnel Gully, the mules of the 26th Indian Mountain Battery, which was landing at the time, moved across the track and cut the column in two.

In the dark, the column filed up the muddy channel of Monash Valley and reached the fork at the valley’s end, here, between the two branches rose the dark mass of Pope’s Hill.
The roar of rifle fire came from the heights around, but this hill and Russell’s Top, on its left, were found to be empty except for a few men on Pope’s from various units of the 1st Division. They then occupied the sharp edge of the spur, which ever afterwards bore Pope’s name.
But here the snipers on Russell’s Top were still doing considerable damage to the 16th Battalion and the slightest indiscretion of movement was met by a very well-aimed bullet.

The 28th was a day of digging with intervals of rest and some fighting and then on the evening of Friday, April 30th, after having been in action on Pope’s Hill for five days, they were relieved by the 15th Battalion. As the various sectors of trench were relieved, the weary men moved down the slope in the rear and congregated at a spot in one of the gullies, called Rest Camp.
Here they rested for 2 days, but the rest was by no means a peaceful one, and the spot could only be called a rest camp in comparison with the greater activity of the front line.
During their 2 days “residence,” they lost 50 men through snipers, so that much of the time that should have been devoted to rest was occupied in digging a “possy” which would be proof against the efforts of the wily Turk.

On this re-organisation they were then sent to relieve the garrison of the trenches at Quinn’s Post and then a week after they landed they were thrown into the attack on Bloody Angle, suffering many casualties.
The ten days that they had been on the Peninsula was a hectic period in the life of the battalion. Their introduction was a terrible ordeal and the number of casualties sustained was something in the nature of a record - even for the landing operations.

On the 12th of May they were relieved and proceeded to Rest Camp.
Both sides about this time appear to have settled down to trench conditions.
The sinking of HMS Triumph on May 25th and HMS Majestic on the 27th of May after they were torpedoed, were two events which cast a gloom over ANZAC Cove as the men on the beach witnessed both of these.

On May 27th it was discovered that the enemy was mining towards Quinn’s front line. Counter mining was at once commenced, and this inaugurated another phase of warfare, underground.
It was on this same day that George suffered a Gun Shot Wound to his left thigh & groin and was admitted into the ANZAC Casualty Clearing Station on the beach.
He was transferred to the sweeper Clacton and then transferred to HS Neuralia before being admitted into the Valetta Military Hospital in Matla.
George spent 3 weeks here before he was transferred to Pembroke Convalescent Camp (St Andrew’s Barracks) on the 3rd of July.

After 4 months here George was again fit for service and was discharged and embarked to Mudros on the 15th of November on board HT Bornu.
But due to the imminent withdrawal from the Peninsula George didn’t rejoin his Battalion, instead he embarked for Alexandria, disembarked on the 4th of December and marched into Base Depot at Giza, Cairo.

On the 1st of January 1916 the 16th Battalion landed at Alexandria, entrained to Moascar, and marched to Ismalia, where George joined them.
Here they pitched tents on the desert north-west of the town and the next day was spent in settling down.
The following day George suffered from Phimosis and was admitted into the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station in Ismailia.
The following day he was transferred to the 1st Australian General Hospital in Cairo where he remained for the next 9 weeks.
On the 11th of March George was transferred to the Base Depot in Ghezireh and then on the 25th of March he was transferred to Zeitoun Camp.

Four days later he was caught attempting to steal fruit from native hawker when on parade and was awarded 10 days Confined to Camp.

George rejoined his Battalion on the 2nd of April at Serapeum and commenced training the following day.
They trained from 6 to 10.30am and then from 4 to 8pm, this schedule allowing the troops to rest during the heat of the day.
It was part of the Battalion’s duty at Serapeum to build sand bag trenches and patrol a sector of the canal at night. This sector was near where the Turks had reached the canal in January, 1915, and, close by, a German officer and several Turks had been buried.
At dusk a camel led by a “Gyppo” would drag a large bush along the bank of the canal, sweeping a clean path, and it was the patrol’s duty to promenade along the side of the path at dawn looking for hostile footprints, as it was thought possible that the Turk might still have designs on the canal.

On April 20th the Brigade was inspected by General Sir A. Murray, who rode around and saw the various units engaged in their ordinary training.
Five days later was the first anniversary of ANZAC Day. A church parade was held in the morning and in the afternoon a programme of athletic and swimming events, organised by the 4th Australian Division, was held.

Three days later George suffered from a Venereal Disease and was admitted into the
13th Australian Field Ambulance and then transferred to the 4th Australian Field Ambulance.
On the 8th of May he was transferred to the 54th Casualty Clearing Station at Gabbari Camp and 4 days later he was transferred to the 1st Australian Stationary Hospital in Tel-el-Kebir.
George spent 1 week here before being discharged to Base Depot on the 19th.

Whilst he was here his Battalion embarked for France on the 1st of June and then George embarked to join his Battalion 6 days later.
He disembarked in Marseilles and marched into the Base Depot in Le Havre, where he spent his 21st Birthday, before joining his Battalion on the 17th of July, who was in training at St Ouen.
At the end of July they moved to Toutencourt and Warloy, before marching to Brickfields on the 4th of August.
The following day they marched to Tara Hill as reserve for the 2nd Division and bivouacked in Tara Gully before moving into Wire Trench, in the front line, 3 days later. Three days later they were relieved and moved back to Brickfields via Pozieres, under heavy enemy bombardment.

Two days later, they moved to Warly and then to Halloy-les-Lernois for specialist training, before rotating back into Wire Trench.
On the 29th of August they were heavily involved in the attack at Mouquet Farm and after 2 days they were relieved by the 47th Battalion and marched back to Brickfields and then to Senlis.
They were unable to capture Mouquet Farm and they suffered 30 killed, 150 wounded and 51 missing.

One of the 30 of the 16th Battalion that was killed was Private Frank Rupert GRAINGER (4214), he was just 17 years old and was born in Hindmarsh, SA.

They then marched via Warloy, Rubempre, Fieffes and Gezaincourt to Doullens, entrained to Hopoot and marched 2 miles to La Clytte into specialist training.
On the 17th of September they marched to Scottish Wood, via Dickebusche and relieved the 87th Canadian Battalion in Old French Trench in the front line.

Whilst here, on the 25th, George suffered a severe Gun Shot Wound to his left hand and was admitted into the 4th Australian Field Ambulance and transferred to the 10th Casualty Clearing Station at Remy Siding, near Lijssenthoek.
He was then transferred and admitted into the to 35th General Hospital in Calais before being evacuated to England on the 4th of October on board HS St Antwerpen and admitted into the 4th Northern General Hospital in Lincoln.

George spent 12 days here and was then transferred to the 2nd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Southall before being discharged to No.2 Command Depot in Weymouth on the 31st of October.
Whilst here, George was admitted into the Sidney Hall Hospital for 3 weeks before returning to the Command Depot, where he spent Christmas 1916.

On the 6th of January 1917 George was transferred to No.4 Command Depot in Wareham, where he went AWOL on the 6th of February for 15 days. When he reported back he was awarded 16 days detention.
George was transferred to No.3 Command Depot in Hurdcott on the 14th of March and 3 weeks later he was medically classified B1A4 (Fit for overseas training camp when passed dentally fit) and transferred to the 70th Battalion.
George went AWOL for 1 day and upon arrest in Hyde Park, London he was awarded 7 days Field Punishment No.2 and forfeited 12 days pay.

On the 4th of May George went AWOL again and a Court of Inquiry declared him Illegal Absentee and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
George was arrested by the Civilian Police at North End Road, Fulham, and 4 weeks later and then transferred to No.1 Command Depot in Perham Downs.
He was transferred to the 65th Battalion in Windmill Hill Camp and confined whilst awaiting trial.
In mid July he went AWOL for 8 days and then his Court Martial was held on the 1st of August.

George pleaded guilty to all charges, was sentenced to 7 months detention and forfeited 301 days pay. He was detained in the Lewis Detention Barracks at Woking until the 30th of January 1918 when he marched out to the Overseas Training Battalion in Sandhill Camp, Longbridge Deverill.
He proceeded back to France on the 8th of February and rejoined his Battalion 2 days later at Dezon Camp, near La Clytte.

On the 20th they embussed to Vormeseel and relieved the 47th Battalion in Crater, Canal and Gaspar Cliffs Doug outs as working parties for 8 days and then embussed to Aldershot Camp, near Neuve Eglise for reequipping, reorganising and training.
After nearly 4 weeks they embussed to Busnes, entrained from Lilliers to Hermaville where they were tasked to clear out Hebuterne Village
On the night of April 20th they were relieved and moved to Rossignol Farm for 7 days.
They moved out to Qnerrieu and, in heavy rain, they went forward as support to the 4th Infantry Brigade sector, where they remained until May 4th, working on improving accommodation and digging a defensive line called Villiers Switch.

They then took over the front line at Villers Bretonnenx before marching back to the Blangy area on the 9th and then to Cardonette for training on the 22nd.
On May 31st two shells of large calibre fell in their billets in Allonville and killed 18 men and wounded 68.
Then the same day they moved into the front line at Hamel and were engaged in improving the trenches.

On June 14th it was decided to raid the enemy in their trenches.
The night was cloudless and the moon made forming up a dangerous operation, but nevertheless the assembly in No Man’s Land was accomplished with only a few casualties and these caused by some short shooting in the Australian barrage.
Gaps were successfully blown in the enemy wire and George and the 16th Battalion rushed through the gaps and gained entry to the German trench.

The raid was successful however George suffered a Gun Shot Wound to the right side of his face and right testicle and was admitted into the 4th Australian Field Ambulance. Two days later he was transferred to the 5th Casualty Clearing Station at Picquigny and the following day he was transferred to the 16th General Hospital in Le Treport.
George was evacuated to England on board HMAS West Australia on the 25th of June and admitted into the Bath War Hospital.
He was transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford on the 13th of August and after 9 days he was discharged to duty and attached to the 2nd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Southall.

Whilst here he was hospitalised for 2 weeks suffering from Furunculosis on his knee and then on the 24th of December George went AWOL for 6 days and was forfeited 20 days pay.
George was granted fulo on the 4th of March 1919 and on return he was transferred to the AAMC (Australian Army Medical Corps) Training Depot.

George embarked for Australia on the 25th of March 1919 on board HT Port Denison as nursing staff.
He disembarked in Adelaide on the 6th of May, was discharged from the 1st AIF on the 18th of August 1919 and awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medals.