Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

On enlistment George Fitzgerald was allocated the rank of a Private and was attached to the 10th Infantry Battalion (5th Reinforcement). Fitzgerald was born in Poplar, London, England (in the year 1894) to a father by the name of Mr. James E. Fitzgerald. Before he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces, Pte. Fitzgerald had an occupation as a seaman. Interestingly, although Private Fitzgerald was born in England, Fitzgerald enlisted for the First World War from Adelaide.  Australian commenced enlistementimmediately after the war was declared on the 4th August 1914.  Private Fitzgerald officially enlisted on the 13th January 1915 at Oaklands, South Australia. His enlistment occurred when he was 21. Although this was a young age to enlist, the legal enlistment age in the Army (at the time) was 18 years and above. Of the soldiers in the 5th reinforcement/10th battalion, Fitzgerald was one of the youngest in his unit. The registration number given to Private Fitzgerald was no. 1938. 

Before embarking for the war, Fitzgerald underwent the standard medical examination.  As far as physical descriptions go, George Fitzgerald was described as a 21-year-old adult weighing 63 kilograms with a height of 1.64 meters and a chest measurement of 32-34.5 inches. Pte. Fitzgerald also had a dark complexion, with grey eyes and dark hair. As part of enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force, Pte. Fitzgerald was required to fill out an enlistment document for service abroad, in which he had to record details concerning his birth name, home town, religious affiliation, age, occupation, and marital status. As a side note, Fitzgerald was not married, nor a father at the time of his enlistment in the Australian Imperial Force. 

On the 20th of April 1915, Private Fitzgerald, along with hundreds of brave Australian soldiers boarded the HMAT Hororata in Adelaide to the Gallipoli Peninsula. As was the norm for a Private, every soldier would be equipped with weaponry (normally a rifle) among other supplies. The HMAT Hororata was a troopship that normally transported soldiers from Fremantle, Adelaide, and Port Melbourne to England (or vice versa) and other deployment spots during the 1st World War. Fitzgerald’s unit embarked on this vessel. 

According to embarkation documents, the 10th Battalion's Private Fitzgerald, on the 8th of July 1915, was added to reinforcements in the Gallipoli Peninsula. Private Fitzgerald served for the next 3 months (approximately) in the region, but in October became ill with pleurisy and embarked on the H.S Maheno to Alexandria. Unfortunately, Private Fitzgerald (while in Alexandria) was admitted to the 21st General Hospital to be treated for enteric fever. He was soon transferred to a camp at Port Said (in Alexandria, Egypt) on the 27th of November 1915, and upon the worsening of his condition, was transported out of Alexandria for a 3-month change to Australia via the H.S Wandilla. 

After a short period of leave and recovery, Private Fitzgerald readily embarked for active service on the 27th of June 1916. After disembarking at Plymouth, England (on the 25th of August), Fitzgerald joined a depot. 2 days later. Unfortunately, Private Fitzgerald was penalized on the 4th November 1916, for extending his leave (while abroad) from the 26th of September to the 5th of October, and was therefore given 9 days of detention. This occurred again on the 23rd December 1916, where Fitzgerald was charged with Absence Without Leave, adding 120 days (until it was reduced to 60 days) to his detention. 

On 30th December 1916, Private Fitzgerald embarked overseas to France and was finally reunited with the 10th Battalion almost 3 weeks later. Fitzgerald stayed in France and gallantly served with his battalion for the next 11 grueling months. Despite his bravery, he did not seem to handle the horrors of the war well and therefore found himself in and out of detention. He was charged on multiple occasions for the use of insubordinate language to a superior (on the 20th May 1917) (for which he was sentenced for 6 months), being an Absentee Without  Leave and committing 2 counts of escaping imprisonment (the first count being committed on the 21st May (until being apprehended on the 5th July), and the second count being committed 8 days later). Because of Pte. Fitzgerald’s absence until the 19th August 1917, he was sentenced for life in penal servitude (which was approved on 25th November 1917), although his sentence was subsequently reduced to 2 years (on the 24th January 1918).

On the 30th December 1917, Private Fitzgerald was admitted to prison, until reuniting with his Battalion on the 28th of July 1918 for the last time (until he departed for the United Kingdom on the 6th of September). On the 17th of October 1918 Fitzgerald was again AWL and was never apprehended. He was officially discharged from service on the 21st of July 1920. Nevertheless, his time abroad was one spent in service for the protection of his country, countrymen, and the Commonwealth. 

After his service abroad, George Fitzgerald lived in South Australia with his wife and children. On the 3rd April 1967, Mr. Fitzgerald applied for the Gallipoli Medallion for his service during the First World War. Although his story was one of the consequences, it is one of servitude and sacrifice for one’s country and in a way, upholds what it means to be an Anzac soldier.

George Fitzgerald was born in London, England in 1896. He worked as a seaman and appears to have been single at the time, as his father was initially listed as his next of kin. He was in Adelaide when he enlisted in January 1915. After his training he went to Egypt and then Gallipoli, where he arrived on 9 July 1915. He would serve on the peninsula for about three months, including during the August battles. He was taken off Gallipoli on 1 October, suffering with what would later be diagnosed as enteric fever. on 13 December 1915 he embarked for Australia as an invalid. It may have been after he returned to Australia that he married a woman who lived in Largs Bay, South Australia.

In mid 1916 he left Australia again for the war, departing Melbourne on 27 June and arriving at Plymouth on 25 August. While training in England he went twice AWL, first for four days in September and then again for over six weeks from late October until he was arrested in mid December. His sentence was commuted and he rejoined the 10th Battalion in France on 18 January 1917.

On 15 May 1917 he used insubordinate language to an officer and was imprisoned for 6 months with hard labour. A few days later he escaped from confinement and was arrested again on 5 July. Soon after he escaped again, and was arrested on 19 August 1917. He was found not guilty of desertion but guilty of being AWL and was sentenced to penal servitude for life on 25 November 1917. In January 1918 this was commuted to 2 years and on 26 July he was released back to active service, meaning he fought with the 10th Battalion at the Battle of Amiens. After being allowed leave in September (and returning from it), he was again AWL for two days in October. On 19 October 1918 he was again absent and never returned, being officially discharged as a deserter on 1 April 1920.

In later life he lived in Australia. According to letters he sent in 1930, found in his Service Record, George Fitzgerald was married with four dependent children. He was a labourer living in Semaphore, SA.