28009
LIGHTBODY, George Sidney
| Service Number: | 2188 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 March 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Adelaide, South Australia, 12 August 1896 |
| Home Town: | Norwood (SA), South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Civil Servant |
| Died: | 18 November 1951, aged 55 years, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Adelaide Attorney General's Department WW1 Honour Board , Adelaide Royal Oak Lodge Honor Roll, Kent Town Wesleyan Methodist Church WW1 Honour Roll, Norwood Primary School Honour Board, Tusmore Burnside District Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 3 Mar 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2188, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 2188, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Borda embarkation_ship_number: A30 public_note: '' | |
| 23 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 2188, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Borda, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Lieutenant, 2188, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 2188, 10th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College
George Sidney Lightbody was born on the 12th of August 1896 in Adelaide, South Australia. George lived at Osmond Terrace, Norwood, South Australia with his father also George Lightbody and family. He was 18 years and 6 months old when he enlisted into the war on the 3rd of March 1915. He left his job as a civil servant to fight in the war. He had yet to find love or have kids making his father his next of kin. At the time of enlistment, he measured as 5’5 and a half was 125 pounds and he had blue hair and brown eyes. He practiced the religion of methodist
On the 3rd of March 1915 with permission from his parents, he enlists. He gets the regimental number of 2188 and becomes a Private in Base Infantry. For around a month he is training in Base Infantry in weapons use, drill orders, fitness, discipline, and command structure in the war. After his training George was enlisted to the 10th Battalion, 6th Reinforcement on the 1st of April. His AWM Embarkation Roll number was 23/27/2 and his unit embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board HMAT A30 Borda on 23 June 1915.
His unit landed at Port Suez, Egypt and he trained with his unit there for a month. Then he and his unit debarked for Dardanelles, Gallipoli on the 31st of July. While on the ship on the 4th of August in Gallipoli he was taken on strength by the 5th reinforcements. Then his group landed in Gallipoli on the 7th of August. He fought with his unit in the harsh warfare where he was fighting Turks positioned on mountainous points. After a lot of offensive attempts from both sides his unit was forced to evacuated on the 21st of November just before the main evacuation on the 19th of December.
On the 27th of March 1916 he joined the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F.) and fought on the Western Front. On the Western Front he fought in miserable trench warfare against the German army.
He fought on Pozieres where the French, British and Germans had been fighting for almost 2 years. His battalion’s first major action was in the Somme valley in July. In Somme they also helped in a major offensive planned by the allies. Then the battalion fought at Ypres in Flanders. On the 23rd of the September on field George was promoted to Temporary Corporal then to Lance Corporal which shows that George was a very good soldier and leader. On the 10th of November he was attached to the 1st headquarters till the 7th of May 1917 where he was reattached to the 10th Battalion. He was promoted to Temporary Sergeant on the 23rd of June in France and was then promoted to Sergeant on the 28th of July, this shows that George was a very good soldier being promoted to a very important role in the army and being promoted twice in just more than a month.
He was promoted 3 days before the major British offensive, the Third Battle of Ypres. His battalion helped out in this major offensive where in over 100 days the Allies only managed to advance about 5 miles taking major casualties of over 250,000 soldiers wounded, killed or missing. Then, still in West Flanders, during March and April 1918 his unit helped in stopping the German Spring Offensive. Also on the 2nd of April he was promoted to Lieutenant. This position shows that George was a great soldier and a great leader being given such a high role in the army’s hierarchy.
At Amiens his battalion participated in the great allied offensive fighting on the 8th of August 1918, this offensive was also known as the Hundred Days Offensive. In this offensive the Allied Forces had a very big win defeating the German Army. Finally on 11am on the 11th of November the guns fell silent.
On the 4th of March 1919 he received a Military cross, ‘For conspicuous gallantry during an attack. He led his platoon brilliantly, shotting three of the enemy himself and accounting for three more while making a reconnaissance in front of his post. After gaining his objective he established touch with the flanks. He set a fine example of cool determination and courage.' This happened after he was promoted to Lieutenant as Lieutenants are the leaders of platoons. He took a 5 month leave from the 18th of March 1919 to the 18th of July just before coming back to Australia on the 23rd of September 1919. He sadly passed away on the 18th of November 1951 at 55 years old.
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