POULTON, George Henry
| Service Number: | 1257 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 30 November 1915, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 42nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Gosford, New South Wales, Australia, 5 September 1898 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Belgium, 8 October 1917, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
Dozinghem Military Cemetery, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Brisbane 42nd Infantry Battalion AIF Roll of Honour, Caboolture District WW1 Roll of Honour, Caboolture War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 30 Nov 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1257, 42nd Infantry Battalion, Brisbane, Queensland | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Jun 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1257, 42nd Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Borda embarkation_ship_number: A30 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Jun 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1257, 42nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Borda, Sydney | |
| 8 Oct 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1257, 42nd Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres |
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Enlisted under legal age. Died of Wounds at just 19 years of age.
Biography contributed by Ian Lang
POULTON George Henry #1257. 42nd Battalion
George Poulton was born in Gosford NSW and attended school in that state. When George presented himself for enlistment at Brisbane on 30th November 1915, he was working for his uncle, Mr George Wallace of Caboolture. George stated his age as 18 years and two months and named his youngest sister, Elizabeth, as his next of kin. He also allocated 3/- of his daily pay to his uncle, even though it would appear that his mother was still alive.
George embarked for overseas on the “Borda” in Sydney on 5th June 1916 and arrived in Southampton on 23rd July.
George was allocated as a reinforcement for the 42nd Battalion which was part of the 11th Brigade of the 3rdDivision AIF under the command of Major General John Monash. Unlike the other four Australian Divisions, the 3rd Division spent the majority of 1916 in training at Larkhill in England. The entire division was sent to the western front in late November 1916, just as the entire front had been closed down for the winter, which proved to be most severe. The 42nd spent time in the cold at the front as well as in labouring tasks.
A major British offensive was planned for 1917 in the Ypres salient in Belgium. The opening of this campaign which was labelled the 3rd Battle of Ypres (but is more commonly known as Passchendaele) began with the explosion of 19 underground mines along the Messines Ridge on 7th June 1917. The entire 3rd Division had a major role in the advances that followed.
Once the Messines Ridge was secured, attention turned to a succession of objectives along the Menin Road from Ypres towards Passchendaele. On 29th September 1917, George Poulton was wounded in the chest by a “bomb”. He was evacuated to the 61st Casualty Clearing Station near Poperinghe.
George’s elder brother James, a mental health nurse from Ipswich, had enlisted in the Field Ambulance and by chance happened to be transporting wounded to the CC Stations located to the west of Ypres. According to George’s mother, James tended to his younger brother who despite the care provided died of his wounds on 8th October 1917. George had only just turned 19. He was buried in the Dozingem British Cemetery.
No doubt James Poulton was able to relay the news of George’s death to his mother, who had remarried and was living at Nebo outside Mackay. The authorities were unable to trace Elizabeth Poulton who George had named as his next of kin and eventually after unsuccessful notices placed in newspapers, agreed to dispose of George’s effects and medals in favour of his mother.
The final entrance in George’s file is a request from his mother for a death certificate so that she could access a savings account held in her son’s name. The letter is dated 1954, 37 years after George died!
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