HONEY, George
| Service Number: | 1291 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 32nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Port Isaac, Cornwall, England, 7 May 1886 |
| Home Town: | Guildford, Swan, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Fromelles, France, 19 July 1916, aged 30 years |
| Cemetery: |
Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery Grave III. D. 1 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bassendean War Memorial, Caversham and Districts Roll of Honour, Guildford St. Matthew's Anglican Church Honour Roll, Guildford St. Matthew's Anglican Church Men Who Laid Down Their Lives Honour Roll, West Swan, Caversham, Beechboro Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1291 | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Nov 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1291, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1291, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), Killed in Action |
Help us honour George Honey's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by VWM Australia
Recovered from the Pheasant Wood unmarked mass grave in 2009, with 250 of his mates. Identified after DNA analysis
Biography contributed by Steve Larkins
Private George Honey was a native of Port Isaac, England.
At the time of his enlistment, he was working as a Labourer, and married to Mrs Ann Brown Honey.
His address was c/o J Bradshaw, 'Beechboro', West Guildford, Western Australia
Aged 30 at embarkation he was an original member of the 32nd Battalion and embarked with it in late 1915.
He disembarked at Suez, 18th December 1915 undertaking further training and defensive tasks.
He embarked with the Battalion from Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force, 17th June 1916; disembarking in Marseilles, France, 23 June 1916, after which they travelled north to the area of Armentiees in northern France.
Private George Honey was reported missing following the 5th Division attack on 19 July 1916.
According to a German report, 2 August 1916: 'austr. Sold. Honey, G. 32.I.R. D. Coy. Nr. 1291. am 19.7.16 in Gegen Fromelles gefallen.'
His name appeared on German Death List, 4 November 1916.
A series of Red Cross Files cast further light on his fate: No 1360707 has statement from 1379 Pte F. THEW, D Company, 32nd Bn, 1 January 1916: 'I regret to inform you that there is absolutely no doubt as to his death. On enquiries from some of the other men who saw him at the time, I find that unfortunately he was bayonetted by the enemy in the encounter (19-7-16).'
Second statement, 3116 Pte H.C. GRIEVES (patient, No 2 General Hospital, Havre), 19 November1916: 'I knew Honey personally ... He was killed at Fromelles, being bayoneted in the head in the German first line. His body was not recovered. Lieut. [W.A.] WARD of the 32nd battalion (sic), saw this and told me later.'
Third statement, 1231 Pte A.W. CAMERON, 32nd Bn (patient, 1st Southern General Hospital, Birmingham, Moneyhull Section; statement undated): 'On the 19th July, 1916, at Fleurbaix, during a charge, Pte Honey ... was killed between the first enemy trench and our objective. We had taken the first trench and were making for the second line when I saw Honey fall struck by a shell. He fell face downwards, and lay there. He was badly knocked about. We went beyond our objective, but had to retire to our front trench next morning at 6 a.m. We could not get in any of the wounded, nor bury the killed.'
George Honey's body was within German lines and he and many others were recovered by the Germans. Their bodies were interred in a mass grave but the detail of the site was lost for many years. It was rediscovered in 2008 thanks to the diligence of Melbourne school teacher Lambros Eglisios, the grave was opened and the process of identification by DNA analysis began.
Compiled by Steve Larkins Aug 2019
Click images to start slideshow.