Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

George Sullivan was born in Charleville and attended Milton State School as a boy. When George enlisted on 23rd August 1915, he was 18 years old and stated his occupation as joiner. He also stated that he had previous military experience in the cadets and in the 2nd Battery of the Field Artillery. His mother, Elanor Sullivan had signed a document giving her permission for George to enlist and had noted that George’s father was deceased. George gave his home address as Golf Street Chelmer where he lived with and supported his mother.

The embarkation roll lists George as a reinforcement for the 2nd Light Horse Brigade when he boarded the “Mashobra” in Sydney on 4th October. The embarkation roll also indicates that George had allotted his entire pay of five shillings a day to his mother; which is a clear indication that his widowed mother was reliant on her son for financial support.

George and the rest of the reinforcements arrived at Ismailia on the southern approach to the Suez Canal in December and George was posted to B Troop, C Squadron of the 2nd Light Horse. For three months, the Light Horse Brigades patrolled the western bank of the canal to deter a possible Turkish attack from the Sinai. When the bulk of the Australian forces departed Egypt for the western front, the mounted troops from Australia and New Zealand remained around the canal to defend this vital communication link.

The war diary of the 2nd Light Horse is very brief in describing the activities of May and June with constant patrolling and scouting into the Sinai Desert. The only incident of note would appear to have been the bombing of the Australian camps by German Taube aircraft which caused some casualties and resulted in a stampede of some three hundred horses.

In July, the troops were engaged in the construction of defensive works in the vicinity of Romani (modern day Ramanah) to counter a perceived Turkish/ German advance towards Alexandria and the canal.

On the night of the 3rd August, Turkish infantry attacked the Australian positions with superior numbers. The Australian fought a rear guard action during the night, often employing “Cossack” outposts (a number of men would fire off a fusillade of shots and then mount up and gallop to the rear). When day broke, the heat, soft sand and lack of water became as big an enemy as the Turks; but still the Light Horse Men continued their tactics of hit and run while meeting the onrushing infantry. It was reported that the commander in the battle; “Galloping Jack” Roysten wore out 14 horses as he raced from one skirmish point to another with a bloody bandage wrapped around his thigh. Men who were in danger of being overrun were rescued by mates who at times had several men hanging on to their stirrups.

The attack was finally repulsed when the Turks, some of whom were bare footed, became exhausted in the soft sand. For the 2nd Light Horse, Romani was a great success with 9 killed and 30 wounded. George Sullivan was one of the wounded. He died later that day. George was buried at the Etmaler Cemetery at Romani with the Rev Teece reading the service.

In April 1917, George’s mother finally received his personal effects; a notebook, 2 badges and 6 Bedouin artefacts, and was awarded a pension of two pounds per fortnight. In 1925 the remains of Trooper George Sullivan were reinterred in the Kantara War Memorial Cemetery on the banks of the canal he gave his life to defend.

Courtesy of Ian Lang

Mango Hill