Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

George was born at Warrnambool in 1889· He shifted to the Colac district with his parents in about 1907, helping them on their farm at Cororooke.

War was looming in Europe. George had joined the militia of the 20th Australian Light Horse and was still a member of this unit when he enlisted in the AIF on 5 April 1916.

At the time of his enlistment, George was 27 years and one month of age and stated his occupation as a farmer. He enlisted at Geelong with the Number One Geelong Battalion with the rank of Private. He had already passed his preliminary medical examination that was conducted at Colac, stating his height as 5 feet 6 inches (1.67 m) tall and weight of 8 stone 8 pounds (54 kg). He had a fair complexion with brown eyes and hair and had a scar on his left cheek. He had not married.

George enjoyed music and was learning to play the piano. In a postcard he sent to his Aunt Amelia, he said he was practising and was making improvements. He also mentioned they expected a good onion crop on the farm, although it had been a dry year. He sounded impatient to get to the war but did mention he had done some outpost work at Portsea.

On 3 August 1916, he transferred to the 5th Reinforcements of the 46th Battalion, still with the rank of private. He made his will on 19 August, making his mother executor and sole beneficiary of his estate.

At last, he was on the move. On 4 September, he left Geelong with his mates, then boarded the vessel HMAT A15 Port Sydney two days later. The next day they steamed for England, arriving at Plymouth after 10 weeks at sea and disembarking on 29 October 1916.

George joined the military camp in Wiltshire, near Wilton, a short distance from Salisbury - not far from where his grandparents Jacob and Agnes lived before coming to Australia. It surely stirred his emotions, having set foot on the land of his ancestors. I wonder if he tried to find his distant relatives.

On 16 November, they marched the 15 km from Wilton to Codford, probably to the railway station. On 21 December 1916, George boarded the Princess Clementine at Folkstone, near Dover, to proceed to the war in France. On arrival in France, they marched to Etaples, on the coast about 30 km south from Calais, and joined the 4th Australian Division Base Depot. Three days later, he joined his unit, the 46th Battalion. Two days later on the 27th, George was sent to the war front or as the army states it - "in the field".

The 46th Battalion was part of the 12th Infantry Brigade, which was part of the Fourth Division. George was a signaller in D Company, which comprised about 250 men.

After the Battle of the Marne in 1914, when the Allies stopped the German army from reaching Paris, the armies on the Western Front settled down to trench warfare, lasting until November 1918. Lines of trenches stretched from the Belgium coast near Ostend to the Swiss frontier, separated by a "no-man's land" usually less than 180 metres wide, that was strewn with barbed wire and corpses. Advances across this no-man's land were very difficult. Heavy bombardment from artillery completely changed the landscape, and with the rain, the ground turned into a quagmire. The trenches were lined with mud. The Germans began using poison gas.

By the time George joined the Front, the allies were issued with gas masks. Mustard gas was bad enough, but the "sneezing gas" made it difficult to keep the masks on. Thousands of Australians were affected by mustard gas, causing great pain. For the fatal cases, most sufferers had to be strapped to their beds, and death took up to five weeks.

George endured the full horror of the Western Front. He probably had never experienced the cold like it was. January 1917 was freezing. The men were always wet and terribly cold. After their fitful sleep, men often awoke before dawn to find their eyelids stuck together with ice.

In January 1917, the Australian divisions began a series of "minor operations" for "a more offensive attitude". The front was not moving – it was deadlocked. In April and May, the 46th Battalion participated in the battle of Bullecourt, eventually capturing the German trenches. Their objective was the Hindenburg Line. But the battle seesawed.

During September, the allies were pushing east. After the AIF won a series of strategic ridges, the worn-out diggers spearheaded a major assault at Broodseinde. The 4th Division was tasked with taking Tokio Ridge, part of the Polygon Wood area – vital to the German defence. This offensive commenced on 26 September, starting with a massive bombardment at 5.50 AM. The Australian section was two km wide on the ten-km front. The 4th Division fought its way successfully forward, their biggest danger at this time being the cleverly sited pillboxes with machine guns. The battle raged three days. On the third day of this battle that George lost his life - killed in action on 28 September 1917.

The 4th Division battalions captured all their objectives, but with the high cost of 1,717 casualties. Following the fighting of 26 to 28 September, the way was open for the AIF's third combat of the series, the "Battle of Broodseinde Ridge”, a few kilometres south of Passchendaele. The war was to rage for another 14 months.

George's personal effects were returned to his parents. They consisted of his disc, his two wallets, Testament, a letter and photos. These were processed on December 1917 by the army, but on 22 January 1918, his mother wrote to the army requesting the return of George’s kit. His father Joseph collected George's personal possessions on 20 May 1818 from the Melbourne barracks. Joseph collected George's medals in 1921.