George Henry MILES

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MILES, George Henry

Service Number:	2385
Enlisted:	28 April 1915
Last Rank:	Lieutenant
Last Unit:	1st Pioneer Battalion
Born:	Violet Town, Victoria, Australia, 30 October 1893
Home Town:	Violet Town, Strathbogie, Victoria
Schooling:	Violet Town State School, Victoria, Australia
Occupation:	Clerk
Died:	Natural causes, Caulfield, Victoria, Australia, 28 October 1940, aged 46 years
Cemetery:	Williamstown (General) Cemetery, Victoria, Australia CofE - U/Grave 36/Row 3
Memorials:	Euroa Telegraph Park, Violet Town Honour Roll WW1, Violet Town Primary School Honour Roll, Violet Town St Dunstan's Honor Roll

World War 1 Service

28 Apr 1915:	Enlisted AIF WW1, 2385
16 Jul 1915:	Involvement Private, 2385, 7th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Demosthenes embarkation_ship_number: A64 public_note: ''
16 Jul 1915:	Embarked Private, 2385, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Demosthenes, Melbourne
10 May 1920:	Discharged AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 1st Pioneer Battalion

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Biography

MILES George Henry 2385
1st Pioneer Battalion
1893-1940

William Jasper Miles, George Henry’s father, migrated with his family from Camberwell, Surrey, England where he was born in 1849. He married Harriett Maria White in Cranbourne, Vic in 1878 when he was 29 years old thus starting an ever-increasing web of relatives in Violet Town and surrounding districts.

In 1893 George and twin sister Alice Maud were born; unfortunately Alice did not survive. There were nine other surviving children.

After being educated at the Violet Town SS George worked as a clerk until he enlisted in Melbourne on 28 April. He was drafted into the 7th reinforcements of the 7th Battalion. The following July he embarked on HMAT Demosthenes bound for Alexandria, then on to Mudros for training. He served for two months on Gallipoli until the withdrawal the following December. The 7th Battalion under Pompey Elliott embarked for Marseilles and entered the front line trenches there in May for action at Pozieres.

George rose among the ranks to be promoted to the rank of LT on 13 May 1916. After leave in London he received an accident which left him with a contused face and broken jaw and fractured ankle. This saw him hospitalised at 3rd London General Hospital on 13 June 1916.

On 22 November he returned to Australia aboard the HT Aeneas to be discharged on 10 May 1920. In 1922 he married Eileen Louise O’Brien at St Luke’s Anglican Church South Melbourne. Three children were born Joan, William John (Billy, 1924-1980) and Valerie May (1935-2011).

George resumed his pre-war job as a clerk.

He died in the Caulfield Repatriation Hospital on 29 October, 1940 at the age of 47.

Service medals: 1915-16 Star British War Medal Victory Medal

Memorials: Main Honour Board, Memorial Hall, Violet Town
Violet Town SS Honour Board
St Dunstan’s Anglican Church
Copper plaques affixed to exterior wall of Memorial Hall

Tree no 50 was planted in 1917 by his father William Jasper Miles

In 2013 a Ceratonia siliqua – Carob tree – was planted by grandniece Yvonne Hargreaves.

Virtual
War Memorial
Australia