Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

George Duncan RADNELL was the youngest child of 13 children born to goldminer William RADNELL and Mayflower descendant Hannah Matilda TITUS. 

Just a boy, George was approximately 15½ when he enlisted, his father signing a letter to say he was 18.  An older brother (Charl) and two cousins had already enlisted and he wanted to join them on the adventure and do his bit.

The personal inscription his parents requested for his headstone claims that he had his 16th birthday at Gallipoli. 

In March 1916 he was promoted to Lance Corporal, a rank he held until May the following year when he reverted to the rank of Private at his own request, the reason for which is unknown.

George was wounded three times during the war, surviving the first two and eventually returning to duty. Unfortunately he did not survive the shell wounds he received when wounded the third and final time. 

This boy grew into a soldier on the battlefields of France, giving his life for his country and the protection of his loved ones at home. 

From Francois Berthout

Pte 1734 George Duncan Radnell,
14th Australian Infantry Battalion,
4th Brigade, 4th Australian Division

The Somme, through its red fields of poppies swaying gently under the light breeze of a gentle spring, stand, silently and solemnly, the white graves of a whole generation of young men who, at 16, in the prime of their lives, with god by their side and guns in their hands, marched alongside their friends and brothers to do their duty on the battlefields of northern France and together, for peace and freedom, fought, bled and fell shoulder to shoulder through the barbed wire and the shell holes, in the mud and the blood that so many heroes shed so that we might live today in the peace for which they stood proudly in the trenches of the great war, in the sacred fields of a friendly country through which they rest today in peace and forever young, walk and live in the light of remembrance which will keep their eternal names. Here, in Amiens, Villers-Bretonneux, Pozieres, they will live forever. They will never be forgotten.

Today, it is with the utmost respect and with the deepest gratitude that I would like to honor the memory of one of these young men, of one of my boys of the Somme who, for Australia and France , gave his life.I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to Private number 1734 George Duncan Radnell who fought in the 14th Australian Infantry Battalion, 4th Brigade, 4th Australian Division, and who died of his wounds 105 years ago, on June 1, 1918 at the age of 18 on the Somme front.

George Duncan Radnell, who was affectionately known as "Ticker", was born in 1900 in Tarnagulla, Loddon, Victoria, Australia, and was the youngest of 13 children of William Radnell, goldminer, and Mayflower descendant Hannah Matilda Titus.He was educated at the Public School, Victoria, and after graduation, worked as a labourer.

George enlisted on January 21, 1915 at Tarnagulla at the age of 15 and a half in the 14th Australian Infantry Battalion, 4th Reinforcement nicknamed "Jacka's Mob" and under the command of then Colonel John Monash. Although too young to join the Australian Imperial Force, George's father signed a letter stating that his son was 18 and who, after a two month training period at Broadmeadows Camp, north of Melbourne, Victoria, embarked with his unit from Melbourne, on board HMAT A9 Shropshire on 29 March 1915 and sailed for the Gallipoli Peninsula.

On May 26, 1915, George was disembarked at Gallipoli where the 14th Battalion fought bravely to hold and defend the ANZAC front line and in August attacked Koja Chemen Tepe (Hill 971), the highest point of the Sari Bair Ridge.The intention of this attack was to seize the high ground between Hill 971 and Chunuk Bair in order to secure a drive across the peninsula to capture the forts guarding the Straits. The hill was taken at great cost, although Turkish reinforcements forced the Australians to withdraw.

On August 21, 1915, George fell ill and was evacuated on the hospital ship "Saturnia" suffering from Dysentery and two days later, admitted to the 3rd Australian General Hospital in Mudros, Greece, suffering from Enteritis. Shortly after, he was evacuated to England and admitted to Mile End Hospital on September 16, then, after recovering, embarked on the "SS Olympic" on November 30 and proceeded to join his unit in Gallipoli on December 8, in the ANZAC sector where the 14th Battalion fought until the evacuation of the peninsula on December 15 and proceeded for Egypt on board "Itua".

On December 31, 1915, George arrived in Egypt, and was disembarked in Alexandria where, a few days later, he fell ill and was admitted to the 4th Australian Field Ambulance then to the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station in Ismailia, suffering once again from Dysentery. On January 11, 1916, he was transferred to the 1st Stationary Hospital, discharged to duty then, after recovering, joined his unit on January 20 then two months later, on March 18, at Tel-El-Kebir, was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal and with the 14th Battalion, joined the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) in Alexandria and proceeded overseas to France.

On June 8, 1916, George and the 14th Battalion finally arrived in France and were disembarked at Marseilles from where they were sent by train to Bailleul where they arrived on June 11 and here, followed a period of training then, a week later, marched to Fort Rompu where they were billeted until June 27 and the next day joined the front line in the rather calm sector of Bois-Grenier, on a trench line stretching between Grand Flamengrie Farm and Burnt Farm. A few days later, hundreds of kilometers away, on July 1, 1916, the terrible battle of the Somme began and on August 7, George joined the hell of the battle of Pozieres which was the first major engagement of the 14th Battalion in the Somme but also the deadliest for the entire Australian Imperial Force after the nightmare of Fromelles.

The Battle of Pozieres began on July 23, 1916. Here, the men of the 1st Australian Division were the first into the line and went forward after a ferocious preliminary bombardment. They made little headway attacking Pozières’ eastern sector but captured a tall concrete observation post called Gibraltar to the west. Enemy positions fell after close combat, usually following grenade attacks. The enemy counter-attacked in the morning and a fearsome artillery barrage churned the earth and buried men alive. Scores of stretcher-bearers died attempting to rescue the wounded lying in no-man's land. The carnage continued for four days as Australian troops struggled to consolidate the ground they had won. When the 1st Division was relieved four days later, on 27 July, it had suffered 5,285 casualties. The 2nd Division were now tasked with capturing the heights overlooking the village. A hasty night attack was launched and any ground gained was lost within two days for the cost of 3,500 casualties. Bean’s diary entry for 29 July described it as "the first wholesale failure that Anzac troops have made."

The diary entry of Corporal Ivor Williams, 21st Battalion, for 30 July 1916 vividly described what he saw:

"There is not one spot where one can find one square foot of earth not dug up by shells…not the slightest trace of a house or woods left. In most places even the bricks and tree stumps are missing, having been pounded to dust. The ground is just honeycombed with shell holes and the whole aspect and contour of the ground is changed.The battlefield is just covered with corpses, some terribly mangled and all in an advanced state of decomposition.There are pieces of bodies, armless, legless, and headless."

A second night assault was launched on 4 August. This time 2nd Division troops captured all objectives,including the infamous Windmill whose concrete foundations the Germans had transformed into a formidable fortress. The 2nd Division’s casualty toll from both attacks was 6,846. No Australian division, before or since, has suffered more losses in a single frontline tour. The men of the 4th Division relieved the 2nd Division on 6 August 1916. After withstanding a ferocious German counterattack the men turned north. A week passed as the 4th Division inched towards their new objective, Mouquet Farm, under the worst artillery bombardment ever endured by Australian soldiers. The battlefield became a featureless wasteland as landmarks were obliterated. Positions changed hands many times and soldiers struggled to determine where the frontline lay. Losses for the 4th Division climbed to 4,649 before it was withdrawn on 16 August.

By mid-August 1916 all three formations making up the 1st ANZAC Corps,the 1st, 2nd and 4th Divisions,had fought at Pozières. The troops expected to be spared further action. They were sorely disappointed. Each division was rested, reinforced to two-thirds strength, and thrown back into the fray. The 1st Division commenced its second tour on 16 August. After one week and 2,600 casualties, they were relieved by the 2nd Division who in five days of fighting, from 22 August, managed to capture the farm only to lose it again for losses of 1,300. The 4th Division returned to the battlefront on 27 August and suffered 2,400 casualties before being brought out of the line on 5 September.

The Australians welcomed the transferal of the Pozières battlefield to the Canadian Corps. Shattered weapons and equipment lay across a desolate wasteland of shell craters and ruined buildings. Rotting corpses and body parts littered the field. The acrid smell of explosives blended with the sickly sweet odour of death. In six weeks, in 19 separate actions, the 1st ANZAC Corps had suffered 23,000 casualties, including 6,750 dead,casualties comparable to the entire eight-month Gallipoli campaign. Deafening, bowel-churning artillery barrages at Pozières, coupled with the horrific sight of dismembered bodies, and the constant threat of being buried alive, or torn to pieces by shrapnel, led to the first significant spate of shell-shock cases among troops of the AIF. Bean would famously state that Pozières was "more densely sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on earth."

Unfortunately, it was during an attack aimed at taking Mouquet Farm on August 28, 1916, that George, for the first time, was wounded in action and the next day was evacuated to the 3rd Casualty Clearing Station then to the 3rd Canadian General Hospital in Boulogne suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest and left arm. On September 2, he was transferred to England by the hospital ship "Newhaven" and admitted to the 2nd Western General Hospital then, after recovering, was granted a furlough on October 26 at Perham Down then followed a period of training in the 4th Training Battalion.

On December 4, 1916, George proceeded overseas to France from Folkestone and joined the 4th Australian Divisional Base depot then on January 5, 1917, marched to join his unit at Ribemont, Somme. Three days later, the 14th Battalion marched to Mametz then for Bazentin where they were billeted until January 23rd then the next day, relieved the 47th Australian Infantry Battalion in the muddy and wet trenches of Gueudecourt, near Flers, where they fought in very difficult conditions until February 9th then moved back for a rest period at Mametz Camp and on February 21, moved to Ribemont-Sur-Ancre for reorganization and training.

On March 22, 1917, the men of the 14th Battalion left Ribemont-Sur-Ancre and marched again for the Mametz Camp, located near the current Mametz Wood and less than a week later, on March 27, moved to Beugnatres (Pas-De-Calais). On April 2, in the footsteps of the German army which fell back behind the Hindenburg line, the 14th Battalion joined the front line near the village of Noreuil which was attacked and taken by the 50th and 51st Australian Infantry Battalion on the same day then on April 13, moved back to the Somme, and alternated periods of rest and training at Mametz and Ribemont-Sur-Ancre.
On May 7, 1917, at his own request, George was reverted to the rank of Private and a little over a week later, with his unit, on May 18, marched for Doulieu (Hauts-De-France) where they followed a new period of training then on June 1, moved to the Ypres Salient sector and took the front line between Hill 63 and Crucifix Corner, near Ploegsteert, in Belgium then, on June 10, took part in the battle of Messines.

The Battle of Messines began on 7 June 1917 with the objective of capturing the Messines-Wytschaete ridge south of Ypres where there was a large enemy salient, or bulge, into the Allied lines. If the line was not straightened here, the planned attack towards the east from Ypres would create an ever lengthening German line to the south from which artillery could fire into the British flank. For what became known as the Battle of Messines, the British prepared the most detailed plan ever for a major British offensive. Artillery targets were carefully plotted and an immense creeping barrage of artillery and machine-gun fire was designed to move ahead of the infantry. Huge models of the ground were built and studied by the troops, especially those in the Third Australian Division commanded by Major General John Monash.

For two years British and German tunnelling companies had manoeuvred and fought an underground war in the Messines area. The British succeeded in concealing from the Germans that they had pushed 19 tunnels deep below the German front-line trenches. From November 1916, the oldest mines, three kilometres south-east of Ypres at Hill 60, were the responsibility of the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company. The 3rd and 4th Australian Divisions took part in this battle. It was the first battle for the 3rd Division and the first for its commander, General John Monash, in charge of a division. The attack commenced with the explosion of the 19 mines and within three hours the entire ridge was taken.

The Battle of Messines was a stunning success. It removed the German salient south of Ypres and paved the way for the offensive east of Ypres to commence on 31 July 1917. However, the two Australian Divisions suffered nearly 6800 casualties.

After the battle of Messines, George and the men of the 14th Battalion fought at Ploegsteert Wood then at St Yves throughout the month of July, at Wytschaete in August then on September 26, during the battle of Polygon Wood, George showed a very great courage near Zonnebeke,which earned him the award of the Military medal with the following citation:

"During the operations near Zonnebeke on the 26th September, 1917, Private Radnell displayed great courage and initiative by getting together a party of 7 men and rushing an enemy post in which were 10 Germans, killing four and taking the remainder prisoners."

Unfortunately, the day after his heroic act, George was wounded in action for the second time by a gun shot wound in his left arm and immediately evacuated to the 3rd Australian Ambulance then transferred to the 3rd Canadian General Hospital in Boulogne where he had already been treated after his wound received at Pozieres. Shortly after, he was transferred to England by the hospital ship "Princess Christian" and admitted to a hospital near Weymouth where he remained until November 15th.

On November 16, 1917, George was declared "fit for service" and on December 5, joined the Training Overseas Brigade at Longbridge Deverill then for the last time, proceeded overseas for France from Southampton on January 3, 1918 and the following day, arrived at Le Havre where he joined the Australian Infantry Base Depot, marched out to unit on January 7 and joined the 14th Battalion on January 9 at Templeux-La-Fosse,which they left the next day and embarked by train from Peronne to Meteren then marched to La Clytte, in Flanders where they remained until January 21 and then marched to Tournai Camp for a period of training before joining the front line in the area called "Spoil Bank" on January 29 and were heavily shelled by the German artillery in this sector then from 1 February fought at Zillebeke, near Ypres before being relieved on 5 February and moved to Murrumbidgee Camp at La Clytte and remained there until 20 February.

On February 21, 1918, George and the 14th Battalion left Murrumbidgee Camp and moved back to Tournai camp the following day. A week later, on February 28, they marched into billets for Neuve-Eglise and underwent a period of tactical exercises as well as sports exercises and working parties. A month later, on March 25, they were sent to Bavincourt and then rushed to the Somme to stop the German spring offensive, one of the main objectives of which was to take the vital railway junction of Amiens.

On March 27, 1918, George and the 14th Battalion joined the Somme and took position at Hebuterne, north of Albert and were heavily shelled. The next day, they repelled a violent German attack and the Australian machine gunners caused very heavy losses in the German ranks then on the 29th, mowed down new enemy waves which crashed in front of the Australian lines then in the days that followed, the Australian artillery pounded with incredible violence the German trenches which were only a hundred meters from the positions of the 14th and subjected to a violent and constant fire, the Germans could not launch new assaults in the Hebuterne sector, whose green fields were nothing but mud and blood everywhere.

On April 13, 1918, the 14th Battalion was relieved by the 16th Australian Infantry Battalion and marched for Rossignol Farm, not far from Hebuterne then on April 16, took position in support lines at Sailly-Au-Bois then on April 25, marched for Amiens where they commemorated ANZAC Day (it is noted in the battalion war diary that on this day a bottle of beer was given to each man). On April 28 they moved to Villers-Bretonneux where they relieved the 58th Australian Infantry Battalion and fought here alongside their French brothers in arms and together faced terrible bombardments from the Germans who tried to retake the city (taken by a courageous Australian counterattack during the night of April 24 to 25, 1918) then on May 21, the 14th was relieved by the 43rd Australian Infantry Battalion and moved to Allonville, near Amiens, and were billeted in front of the castle of Allonville which was later destroyed but the park on which stood a camp of tents is still visible.

Unfortunately, it was in Allonville, on May 31, 1918, that George and many of his comrades met their fates.

On the night of May 31, 1918, while George and his comrades were sleeping in a barn, the Germans shelled Allonville and a large shell fell hard into the barn, killing 13 men and wounding 52 others including George who was seriously wounded by shrapnel to his face and legs. He was immediately evacuated and admitted to the 7th Australian Field Ambulance then transferred to the 20th Casualty Clearing Station in Vignacourt where despite the greatest care, George died the following day, June 1, 1918 at the age of 18.
The incident at Allonville of May 31, 1918 which led to George's death was recorded in the 14th Battalion War Diary as follows:

"Allonville, Mai 31,1918
At about 1:15am,the enemy shelled Allonville and one shell landed right in the large barn occupied by "A" Company, cutting it in halves. 13 other ranks killed; 56 wounded. Another shell landed in barn occupied by "c" Company and headquarters, causing 17 casualties. The behaviour of the men were magnificent,as men were buried in the debris and had to be dug out and some of the wounds (the majority) were awful. The Battalion should have moved off at 6am but owing to this accident did not move till 10am."

Today, George Duncan Radnell rests in peace alongside his friends, comrades and brothers in arms at Vignacourt British Cemetery, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription: "George, a Tarnagulla lad celebrated his 16th Birthday at ANZAC in 1915."

George Duncan had a brother who also fought with great bravery during the great war. He was Private number 367 Charles Victor Radnell who served in the 38th Australian Infantry Battalion. Unfortunately, Charles was killed in action on February 27, 1917 at the age of 29 and now rests in peace at Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieres, and his grave bears the following inscription: "Lord, grant him a reward worthy of his sacrifice."

George, in addition to his brother, also had two cousins who fought during the war. The first of them was Private number 1182 George Albert Radnell, Distinguished Conduct Medal, and who served in the 8th Australian Infantry Battalion, then in the 1st Machine Gun Battalion. George survived the war and returned to Australia on October 8, 1918.

George Duncan Radnell's second cousin was Private Number 469 Joseph Charles Radnell who served in the 3rd Light Horse Regiment. Sadly, Charles was killed in action on August 4, 1916 in Egypt at the age of 26 and he now rests in peace at Kantara War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt, and his grave bears the following inscription: "Dearly loved, sadly missed."

George, so young, at the dawn of a life ready to be lived, it is with the greatest determination, with patriotism and determination that you answered the call of duty to do your part on the battlefields of the great war alongside your brothers and to join the game, added a few years to your age so as not to be left behind, to do what was right and what guided your heart and your steps through the sands of Gallipoli, through the clay of Belgium and the poppies of the Somme on which the tears of effort and suffering were shed, on which flowed the blood of a whole generation of young men who, in the hell of war, in the hell of Pozieres, in the nightmare of the Somme, were swept away through fire, through fire and rains of bullets that fell on them without pity and in the mud, in chaos and fury, under hail of shells, were buried alive in terrible deflagrations which dragged the world and the hearts of men into the despair and the madness of a war which set the world ablaze and which, in its brutality, in its madness, pushed so many young boys to kill each other in bloodbaths, in hurricanes of howls and who, in the shock of metal in the flesh, fell side by side, sometimes wounded, disfigured, mutilated and had to crawl over the bodies of their dead comrades to try to escape this carnage, this unleashing of violence through which death rode to take away the souls of these poor boys who, with the highest bravery, in camaraderie, for the love of their country and freedom, gave their today.In the trenches, on land plowed by shells, these heroes, without fail, stood proud and tall and showed, with their heads held high under their slouch hats, under their steel helmets, the valor and courage of all the young Australian nation who did so much for our country and who, through the courage of the young Diggers, brought new light, new hope in the hearts of the children of France who looked at the Australian soldiers with so much admiration and when they arrived in our villages, they were quickly adopted by a whole people who loved and who still love these young boys, these men, like our sons and for us, for peace, fought fiercely without ever backing down because in their hearts, France became more than an unknown country, France became their country and in Amiens, in Villers-Bretonneux, each of them gave their all so that we could have a today, a tomorrow, a future in peace but in barbed wire, in the bruised fields, thousands of them gave their lives far from home but will always have the love of the French people who owe them so much and who are so grateful to them for all they did, for all they sacrificed in the younger years of their lives like George who, after three years on the front line, sowed the seeds of hope and paid the ultimate sacrifice alongside so many of his comrades, brother and cousins, of his brothers in arms who fought in a common front, around just causes that brought them together and gave them the strength to go above and beyond to face their destinies.Young they were and young they will remain for eternity through the silence of remembrance, through the light in which they walk serenely on these sacred grounds of the Somme where they wrote the pages of history. They were never forgotten and will never be forgotten and for them, for their families, I would give the time of my life to honor and bring to life the memory of these men, of my boys of the Somme on whom I would always watch with love, with gratitude and and respect for may they be remembered, so that their names may live forever.

Thank you so much George, for all you have done for my country whose love will be yours forever. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember him,we will remember them.