FINLAY, George David
| Service Number: | 427 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 August 1914, D Company |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 11th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Beverley, Western Australia, 22 December 1888 |
| Home Town: | Fremantle, Fremantle, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Blacksmith |
| Died: | Coronary occlusion, Albany, Western Australia, 5 March 1964, aged 75 years |
| Cemetery: |
Allambie Park Cemetery, Albany, Western Australia A Methodist 143 |
| Memorials: | Fremantle Scots Church Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 8 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 427, 11th Infantry Battalion, D Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 1914: | Involvement Private, 427, 11th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Nov 1914: | Embarked Private, 427, 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Fremantle | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 427, 11th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, Shrapnel wound to left wrist. 30.4.15 Australian General Hospital Heliopolis; 9.6.15 Convalescent Hospital Helouan. 11.6.15 Discharged for duty. 11.7.15 Rejoined Unit at Gallipoli | |
| 11 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 427, Sailed from Suez on HT Runic. Invalided home to Australia | |
| 28 Oct 1916: | Discharged AIF WW1, 427, Discharged as medically unfit |
Help us honour George David Finlay's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Helen Harmer
George David Finlay was born in a tent at Beverley W.A. on the 22.12.1888. At the time, his father was a carpenter, supervising the construction of a bridge for the Perth to Albany Railway line. When George enlisted, his parents, David and Jane Finlay, were living in Bay Road, North Fremantle. The family was Presbyterian, worshipped regularly at Scots Church Fremantle and, on occasion, George played the bagpipes there. He had served an apprenticeship with Rocky Bay West Iron Works and was a blacksmith, working at the Midland Railway Workshops. George joined the AIF at Helena Vale on the 8.8.14, aged 25 years 8 months. He had previous service of 6 years with F Company WA 216. George was described as being 5 feet 6¼ inches tall, with a chest measurement of 34-36½ inches, fair complexion brown eyes and reddish-brown hair. Allocated Service Number 427, he was a Private with the 11th Infantry Battalion D Company.
He embarked from Fremantle on HMAT Ascanius A11 on the 2.11.14. After further training in Egypt, he took part in the landing at Gallipoli on the 25.4.15, where he was wounded in the left wrist by shrapnel. He was appointed the role of Bugler during his duty at Gallipoli. One night, he had to sleep in a trench with the body of one of his mates across him. Except for a bout of influenza, he remained on the Peninsula until he was evacuated on the 7.12.1915. George was admitted to hospital on Lemnos, diagnosed with diphtheria, then transferred to Alexandria. He experienced bouts of chest pain and breathlessness, which doctors attributed to the diphtheria. George was declared medically unfit and returned to Australia on HT Runic from Suez on the 11.4.16. Upon his return, he was told by doctors that he had 3 months to live and was discharged on the 18.9.16. However, he exceeded this deadline and became the owner/driver of a taxi. This enterprise was not profitable, so he sold the vehicle. George married Annie Gladys Ross on the 2nd of Feb 1918 and they had a daughter in 1919. In early 1920, George found work at the Naval Base in charge of water pumping. When the base was closed down, George obtained a job at the WA Government Midland Workshops making buffers. When the depression hit in the 1930s, George lost his job. A business was opened in 1931 at Canning Highway, East Fremantle and George and Glad leased two shops in the Richmond Theatre complex – a confectionary shop and mixed business. The former was sold in 1940 and the latter in 1942. In 1935 they built a house in Canning Highway, Melville, but George’s declining health meant several moves. The house was eventually sold in 1963, when they moved to Albany to be closer to their daughter and her family. George died in Albany aged 71 on the 5.4.1964 and is buried in Allambie Park Cemetery, Albany, A Methodist section, grave 143. Glad joined him there in 1971.
NAA Series #B2455 Barcode 3900828
Click images to start slideshow.