GEORGE, Harry Maxwell
| Service Number: | 62495 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 June 1918, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 1st to 6th (SA) Reinforcements |
| Born: | Hallett, South Australia, 25 May 1898 |
| Home Town: | Strathalbyn, Alexandrina, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Strathalbyn Public School, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Bank Clerk |
| Died: | Died of Illness (influenza), Woodman Point, Western Australia, 14 December 1918, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
Rockingham Cemetery, Western Australia |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Adelaide Savings Bank of South Australia Honour Roll WW1, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Coogee "Boonah" Tragedy Memorial, Saddleworth Institute Roll of Honor WW1, Saddleworth Memorial Trees Plaque, Strathalbyn District Roll of Honor WW1, Strathalbyn RSL Hall Honour Board, Strathalbyn War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Jun 1918: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 62495, Adelaide, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Oct 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 62495, 1st to 6th (SA) Reinforcements, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '20' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Boonah embarkation_ship_number: A36 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Oct 1918: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 62495, 1st to 6th (SA) Reinforcements, HMAT Boonah, Adelaide | |
| 14 Dec 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 62495, 1st to 6th (SA) Reinforcements, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 62495 awm_unit: 5th General Service Reinforcements awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1918-12-14 |
Lance Corporal Harold 'Harry' Maxwell George
The troopship, 'Boonah' arrived back in Fremantle in 1918 bearing soldiers infected with the Spanish Flu then rampant in South Africa where the ship had docked. A number of the soldiers, quarantined at Woodman Point, and the nurses attending them died.
Harry died from that disease on 14 December 1918 and was buried at East Rockingham cemetery (Ang A1 27). He was only 20 years of age, from Hallett, SA.
A room in the museum at the former quarantine station, and a Boonah memorial outside the former Isolation Hospital commemorates the tragic loss of life.
Submitted 7 May 2025 by gail dodd
Biography
In the attached photo of Harry Maxwell George, of Strathalbyn, the reverse of the photo reads:- "Harry Maxwell George c 1916 62495 at Strathalbyn Station. He is in Citizens Military Uniform (Force). He enlisted in the A.I.F 18/6/1918 and he died in Western Australia on 14/12/1918 5th General Lance Corporal"
Harry never made it to Europe, he died of the Spanish Flu at the quarantine station near Perth. He is buried at the East Rockingham cemetery.
"...62495 Lance Corporal Harry Maxwell George, 5th South Australian Reinforcements, of Saddleworth, SA, in the uniform of a senior cadet. On 18 June 1918, after two years as a cadet and serving in the Citizen's Military Forces, Harry George, a bank clerk, enlisted in the AIF. He embarked from Fremantle, aboard HMAT Boonah on 22 October 1918. Soon after the Boonah arrived at Durban, South Africa, the Armistice was declared and the ship was recalled to Australia. However, L/Cpl George and many others on board contracted influenza and when the Boonah reached Western Australia, on 6 December 1918, the infected soldiers were taken to the quarantine station at Woodman Point near Fremantle. L/Cpl George died at Woodman Point on 14 December 1918. He was 20 years of age." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
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