MELBOURNE, George
| Service Number: | 629 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 February 1916, Wangaratta, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 37th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Yackandandah, Victoria, Australia, 3 August 1897 |
| Home Town: | Yackandandah, Indigo, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Back Creek State School, Yackandandah, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Wounds, Manor House Hospital, Folkestone, Kent, England , 2 September 1917, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
Shorncliffe Military Cemetery, Kent, England |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Yackandandah Back Creek State School WW1 Honour Roll, Yackandandah Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Yackandandah Kiewa RSL Yackandandah Shire Honour Roll, Yackandandah Memorial Gates, Yackandandah State School WWI Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 629, Wangaratta, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Jun 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 629, 37th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Persic embarkation_ship_number: A34 public_note: '' | |
| 3 Jun 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 629, 37th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Persic, Melbourne | |
| 7 Jun 1917: | Wounded Private, 629, 37th Infantry Battalion, Battle of Messines, GSW (shoulder and knee) |
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"The death of Private George Melbourne came as a shock to the residents of the district. He had been in hospital some time, suffering from wounds in the left shoulder and left knee, and in letters received from him by his relatives he stated his knee was coming on well and he hoped to be coming home to Australia as soon as he was able to walk. He only anticipated that his knee would be a little stiff. His brother, William, who is a machine gunner was in the same battle and came out without a scratch, although he was buried up to the neck through a shell explosion. Another brother is in hospital in Egypt suffering from shell shock. He was in one big battle that lasted a week, and had nothing to eat for four days. Private George Melbourne was well liked by everybody, and great sympathy is felt for his parents." - from the Yackandandah Times 13 Sep 1917 (nla.gov.au)
Biography contributed by Cathy Sedgwick
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick (OAM) – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland”
George Melbourne was born at Yackandandah, Victoria in August, 1897 to parents George and Ellen Agnes Melbourne (nee McVicar).
He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 22nd February, 1916 as an 18 year old, single, Labourer from Yackandandah, Victoria. George Melbourne’s Attestation Papers are marked with “Teeth need attention” & under the Certificate of Medical Examination section it reads “Deficient in physique & chest. Accepted provisionally. 25/3/16 Re-examined at Seymour & medically fit.” George’s older brother – William Robert Melbourne, a 22 year old Labourer from Monea, Victoria enlisted a week earlier on 15th February, 1916 with 37th Infantry Battalion “B” Company of the Australian Imperial Force.
Private George Melbourne, Service number 629, & his brother William Robert Melbourne both embarked from Melbourne, Victoria on HMAT Persic (A34) on 3rd June, 1916 with the 10th Infantry Brigade, 37th Infantry Battalion “B” Company & disembarked at Plymouth, England on 25th July, 1916.
Reinforcements were only given basic training in Australia. Training was completed in training units in England. Some of these were located in the Salisbury Plain & surrounding areas in the county of Wiltshire.
On 10th October, 1916 Private George Melbourne was admitted to Brigade Hospital at Parkhouse, Wiltshire with Mumps. He was discharged from Hospital on 23rd October, 1916 & rejoined his Unit from Hospital on 24th October, 1916.
He proceeded overseas to France on 22nd November, 1916.
On 9th February, 1917 Private Melbourne was sent sick to Hospital in France & admitted to 9th Australian Field Ambulance the same day with Scabies. He was discharged to duty on 17th February, 1917 & rejoined his Battalion the same day.
Private George Melbourne was wounded in action on 7-9th June, 1917 (date recorded as per Casualty Form - Active Service). He was admitted to 77th Field Ambulance on 8th June, 1917 with gunshot wounds to left shoulder & left knee then transferred to 53rd Casualty Clearing Station on 8th June, 1917. Private Melbourne was transferred to Ambulance Train 28 on 11th June, 1917 & admitted to 14th General Hospital on 12th June, 1917. He was invalided to England from Boulogne, France on 12th June, 1917 on Hospital Ship St Denis with gunshot wounds to left Shoulder & left knee – severe.
He was admitted to Manor House Hospital, Folkestone, Kent, England on 19th July, 1917 with gunshot wounds to left knee & left shoulder. The Medical Case Sheet for Pte George Melbourne reads in part:“He was admitted to this Hosp with shoulder condition _____ healed. Knee had been incised… and was still discharging at the incision. … On 9-8-17 the knee became very painful and swollen and temp went up to 102.8. Knee incised on 15-8-17 and tubes inserted. Considerable discarge but temp. did not fall. On 18-8-17 incision enlarged laterally…. In 29-8-17 a Lung condition followed and Resp became rapid.”
Samples from the discharge of the knee of Private Melbourne were sent to the No. 2 Canadian Mobile Laboratory at Folkestone on 19th August, 1917 – Staphylococus was found to be growing abundently.
Private George Melbourne died at 7 am on 2nd September, 1917 at Manor House Hospital, Folkestone, Kent, England from wounds received in action – Gunshot wounds to left shoulder & left knee. The Admissions to Hospital (pink) form records that Private George Melbourne “developed Septicaemia and Septic Pneumonia and died.”
He was buried in Shorncliffe Military Cemetery, Folkestone, Kent, England.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/shorncliffe.html
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