COPE, George Wilfred
| Service Number: | 3128 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 6 August 1915, Enlisted at Keswick, SA |
| Last Rank: | Driver |
| Last Unit: | 32nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Homestead, Hindmarsh, South Australia, 6 May 1893 |
| Home Town: | Mallala, Mallala, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Reeves Plain School, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 17 June 1918, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Mallala District of Grace WW1 Roll of Honor, Mallala Reeves Plains State School Old Scholars Honour Roll, Mallala War Memorial, Two Wells WW1 Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3128, 27th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Keswick, SA | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Jan 1916: | Involvement Private, 3128, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Medic embarkation_ship_number: A7 public_note: '' | |
| 12 Jan 1916: | Embarked Private, 3128, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Medic, Adelaide | |
| 6 Apr 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Transferred from the 27th Battalion to the 32nd Battalion | |
| 20 Jul 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 3128, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Gunshot wounds to the arm and thigh. Evacuated to England on the 22 July 1916 | |
| 27 Jun 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Driver, 32nd Infantry Battalion, In the field | |
| 17 Jun 1918: | Involvement Driver, 3128, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3128 awm_unit: 32nd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Driver awm_died_date: 1918-06-17 |
Help us honour George Wilfred Cope's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Carol Foster
Son of Frederick Cope and Emily Rachel (nee Hall) Cope of Mallala, SA; brother of Thomas Edward Cope MM, Edith Maud Cope, Arthur Phillip Clifford, Cope, Agnes Hilda Cope, Ernest Edwin Cope and Harold Oswald Cope
Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal
Biography contributed
Driver George Wilfred Cope (3128)
George Cope was born in Mallala on 6th May, 1893. His parents were Frederick and Emily Rachel, nee Hall. He was the second of eight children, having four brothers and three sisters. The family lived at Redbanks and Reeves Plains.
On the 23rd July, 1915 he enlisted at Keswick. He was 22 years and two months old. He gave his occupation as labourer. He stood five feet, nine inches tall, had a fresh complexion, with brown hair and hazel eyes. In 1916 after training at Duntroon, he was appointed to B Company, 2nd Dept Battalion with the rank of Private. On June 17th, 1916 he arrived in Alexandria and then on to Marseilles, disembarking from the Transylvania. Only five days later, he was wounded in action with arm and leg injuries. On 22nd June, he was transferred to England for recuperation on board the Cambria. He was admitted to hospital in Chatham with gunshot wounds. From Perham Downs he was moved to Wareham and then Windmill Hill, where he was appointed as a driver with the 32nd Battalion. He was marched out to Hurdcott and thence to Southampton and on to Europe arriving in Le Havre in November of 1917. He returned to the field by mid-November. Tragically, he died from wounds received in action in France on the 17th of June, 1918.
His effects were sent home on the “Austral Glen”, to his mother Emily. They consisted of one diary, one wallet, one purse, one gold ring, photos, and unit colours.
Courtesy of Laura Parsons
Click images to start slideshow.