George Edward BARNES

BARNES, George Edward

Service Number: 229
Enlisted: 28 January 1916
Last Rank: Bombardier
Last Unit: 43rd Infantry Battalion
Born: Yorketown, South Australia, 14 March 1893
Home Town: Clements Gap, Barunga West, South Australia
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Farmer
Died: Toorak Gardens, South Australia, 21 August 1965, aged 72 years, cause of death not yet discovered
Cemetery: Port Broughton Cemetery
Memorials: Port Broughton War Memorial, South Australian Garden of Remembrance
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World War 1 Service

28 Jan 1916: Enlisted
9 Jun 1916: Involvement Private, 229, 43rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: ''
9 Jun 1916: Embarked Private, 229, 43rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Adelaide
11 Nov 1918: Involvement Bombardier, 229

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Biography contributed by tony griffin

At Morphettville Camp he was allocated to B Coy 43 Infantry Battalion and embarked from Adelaide aboard HMAT A19 “Afric” on 9 June 1916. A month into the voyage George reported sick to the ship’s hospital with an unknown condition. He disembarked in England and on 23 November he proceeded overseas to France where he was taken on the strength of 3rd Divisional Trench Mortar Brigade.

On 16 September 1917 George was in the Ypres area of Belgium when he was wounded on the left thigh by fragments from a bomb dropped by a German aircraft. Taken from the field he was operated on the same day. George was invalided to England and admitted to the Reading War Hospital.

After convalescing in England George returned to his unit on 1 March 1918 but on 29 September he was wounded by a shell for a second time. With shell fragments in his chest, left arm and head he was again invalided to England where he arrived on 4 October. His medical report states:

Aspirated 10.10.18. Nil. Aspirated 3 days later and coagulated blood drawn off. Haemophysis for few days. Operated on – Empyema – on 9.11.18 Present condition (16.3.19): Wounds healed. Right diaphragm fixed to ribs but moves medially. Rib expansion limited. Thickened pleural right base. Foreign body in nregion of post mediastinium – harmless. Lung condition good. General condition very fair.

Haemophysis – coughing up of blood

Empyema – pus in pleural cavity

 During his time in England George met and courted Gwenderline Vallaya Bowen who was working in the Military Hospital at Southmead. George and Gwen were married on 16 April 1919. With his wife George returned to Australia aboard SS “Canberra” on 23 July and disembarked in Adelaide on 9 September 1919. George was discharged on 9 November 1919.

 

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Biography

Son of John William BARNES and Maria nee NOYCE

Married in England 16 April 1919 to Gwendoline Vallaya BOWEN

Wounded on 2 occasions