WYTHES, George Watterson
| Service Number: | 34842 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 December 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | Field Artillery Brigades |
| Born: | Petersham, New South Wales, Australia, 1900 |
| Home Town: | Hornsby, Hornsby Shire, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Technical High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Engineering student |
| Died: | Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia, 8 March 1981, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Hornsby War Memorial, Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll Of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Dec 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Gunner, 34842, Field Artillery Brigades | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Jun 1917: | Involvement Gunner, 34842, Field Artillery Brigades, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Jun 1917: | Embarked Gunner, 34842, Field Artillery Brigades, HMAT Suevic, Melbourne |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Sydney Technical High School
George Watterson Wythes (1900-1981) Service Number:34842
George Watterson Wythes born in 1900 (1) in Petersham, New South Wales was a Sydney technical High School student studying engineering who served during the first world war in the Field Artillery Brigade unit as a gunner. Wythes enlisted straight after getting his Intermediate certificate from Sydney Tech on the 11th of December 1916. Wythes family consisted of his father George Henry Wythes, his mother Christina Bryce and 2 sisters Lottie Jane and Leila Christina Wythes. Wythes was brought up under Christianity(2) and had many good efforts at school with him getting above average marks in most years and subjects, his persistency in Engineering allowed him to graduate from Sydney Tech(3)
Records show Wythes enlisting 23rd November 1916. He trained for several months to then embark on service abroad from Melbourne, Victoria aboard the HMAT A29 Suevic on the 21 of June 1917 joining the 4th Field Artillery Brigade.
Wythe's contribution to the 4th Field Artillery Brigade was his role as a gunner and the battles that unit faced were countless. After Wythes final goodbyes and farewells in the Hornsby newspaper sending off the soldiers he went on to participate in some campaigns such as Somme Valley and the Western front, specific battles include the Battle of Amiens fought from August 8th to August 11th, 1918, it was a pivotal moment in WW1 and marked the beginning of the end for the German forces on the Western Front. With the battle being so Artillery heavy the jobs of the unit were to Provide indirect fire support as well as supporting infantry operations, thi was done using guns such as the 18-pounder field guns, which were the standard artillery piece for the British and Commonwealth forces during the war, and due to Wythe’s unit and many other Artillery Units the battle was one showcasing the effectiveness of coordinated warfare and showed the importance of Australians during WW1.the constant shelling also induced many shell shocks to the brigade and sadly Wythes was a victim but soon healed after the war. After Wythes contribution to WW1 he got discharged for termination of period of enlistment on the 19th of September 1919.
After his discharge Wythes began work as a fireman and married Nellie D Netherclift in 1929. A Chatswood newspaper article explained he auctioned off his house in Hornsby. Wythes was also a fan of oyster farming as his lease and request to oyster farm was approved, his enjoyment of oyster farming was peculiar to his wife but supported him nonetheless. Wythe's marriage lasted till death, though we don’t know the cause, he had two daughters Marjorie and Shirley.
References:
(1)New South Wales, Australia, Public Service Lists 1900-1981, Ancestry.com
(2)New South Wales, Australia, Public Service Lists 1900-1981, Ancestry.com
(3)1916 Class 3A Grade papers
(4)Application to Enlist in the Australian Imperial Force 18 Nov 1916
Bibliograph:
George Watterson Wythes, Research on Google Drive https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/159dVe8G6i25U1WGgaKSDPEiohCfdlzI_
George Watterson Wythes, The Aif project https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=333918
George Watterson WYTHES, Virtual War memorial
National Archives of Australia, B2455, WYTHES G W https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=3453523&isAv=N
Australian War memorial, 4th Field Artillery Brigade https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51114
VW M Unite Histories https://vwma.org.au/explore/units
George Watterson WYTHES AIF Diaries https://tinyurl.com/3b53hnxu