DE BELIN, George Arthur
| Service Number: | 4761 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 29 December 1915, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Broadwater, New South Wales, 3 April 1892 |
| Home Town: | Alexandria, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Natural causes (stroke), Sydney, New South Wales, 14 July 1944, aged 52 years |
| Cemetery: |
Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, NSW Anglican Section, Row 13, Grave 629 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 29 Dec 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4761, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Mar 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 4761, 13th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Star of England, Sydney | |
| 8 Mar 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 4761, 13th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of England embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Apr 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
| 7 Aug 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 4761, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), Battle for Pozières | |
| 28 Mar 1918: | Honoured Military Medal, Dernancourt/Ancre, For gallant conduct as a Stretcher Bearer during the attack near Dernancourt | |
| 5 May 1918: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
| 27 Jul 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 4761, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
George Arthur Roy de Belin
...was born in Broadwater (District of Lismore), NSW, on 3/4/1892. As both his parents had died by the time he was 11 years old, he was originally raised as a Ward of the State until he was cared by his elder sister, Marion Augusta de BELIN, and her husband William SEATON, in the Sydney suburb of Alexandria.
During WWI George enlisted in the Australian Army on 28/12/1915, where he served in "B" Company, 45th Battalion, seeing action on the Western Front in Belgium. He returned to Australia on 13/4/1919. His Army No. was 4761, and he held the rank of Lance Corporal.
He received the Military Medal for Bravery, and his citation reads; "For gallant conduct as a Stretcher Bearer during the attack near Dernancourt south west of Albert on March 28th 1918. Prior to the enemy launching his attack, a heavy artillery barrage was put down on our lines, causing many casualties in de BELIN's Coy. He showed disregard for the enemy's fire and with untiring energy he sought out the wounded and conveyed them to safety. By his courage and skill he saved a number of lives and his endurance was extremely commendable. Signed E.G Sinclair MacLAGAN Major General, Commanding 4th Aust.Div."
His army records indicate his only wound was a broken leg in France in 1916 whilst moving camp in the mud, however, it was known that on his return to Australia, he did suffer from symptoms connected with WWI enemy gas poisoning. After the war he was a labourer, and a "powder monkey”, which involved the use of explosives. In one mishap he lost an eye in an explosion after checking a charge which had originally failed to detonate. The Sydney Morning Herald reported on 31/3/1931 "Two men were injured during blasting operations on the Cootamundra water supply line yesterday. They had fired 28 charges, and had resumed drilling when a charge that had been over looked exploded. George Arthur De Balin (sic), 40, an Italian(!), was injured about the head, arms, and eyes. An eye specialist has journeyed to Cootamundra to try and save the sight on one eye. A second man was behind De Balin (sic), and suffered only minor injuries".
George Arthur Roy de BELIN died at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney on 14/7/1944, as a result of a stroke. He was buried the following day in Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, Botany, in the Anglican Section, Row 13, Grave 629.
(Les de Belin - great nephew - 2017)
Submitted 6 December 2017 by Les de Belin
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