DAVIDSON, George Rae
| Service Number: | 2614 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Annandale, New South Wales, Australia, 14 September 1895 |
| Home Town: | Ashfield, Ashfield, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway clerk |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 4 May 1917, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bathurst War Memorial Carillon, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Nov 1915: | Involvement Private, 2614, 18th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 1915: | Embarked Private, 2614, 18th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Sydney | |
| 4 May 1917: | Involvement Private, 2614, 3rd Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2614 awm_unit: 3 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-05-04 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
George Rae DAVIDSON, (Service Number 2614) was born 14 September 1895 in Annandale in NSW. He started his Tramways career on 14 July 1913 as a junior clerk in Sydney. In 1914 he transferred to the Railways Traffic Branch, working at Clyde Junction, and joined the AIF on 5 May 1915, at 19-years-old. He listed his widowed mother as his next of kin. He embarked at Sydney on the A14 ‘Euripides’ on 2 November 1915.
Submitted 10 June 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
George Rae DAVIDSON (Service Number 2614) was born 14th September 1895 in Annandale in NSW. He started his Tramways career on 14th July 1913 as a junior clerk in Sydney. In 1914 he transferred to the Railways Traffic Branch, working at Clyde Junction. He joined the AIF on 5th May 1915, at 19-years-old. He listed his widowed mother as his next of kin. He embarked at Sydney on the A14 ‘Euripides’ on 2nd November 1915.
He joined the 18th Battalion followed by the 3rd Battalion in Tel-el-Kebir (Egypt) on 14th February 1916. He embarked for France from Alexandria on 23rd March 1916. He disembarked at Marseilles (France) on 28th March 1916.
He was injured on the field in France with a gunshot wound to the arm on 22nd July 1916. He sent to Boulogne because of this on 26th July 1916. He was quickly transferred to England on 27th July and was granted furlough. Once he recovered from the gunshot wound, he went back to France on 22nd September. He went to the front on 4th October 1916 and re-joined his battalion in Belgium on 6th October 1916. On 9th December 1916, he was placed on command at Lewis Gun School in France. He returned to his unit on 20th December 1916.
On 2nd March 1917, he was admitted to hospital in France, this time for pleurisy. He re-joined his battalion on 18th March.
He was killed in action on 4th May 1917 at the age of 21. According to his files, he was buried in the vicinity of Maricourt.
The personal items that were sent to his mother following his death included a tobacco pouch, post cards, a letter, a scarf, and a hairbrush. In addition to these, she was also sent the 1914/15 Star, the British War Medal, and the Victory Medal for his service. He is commemorated at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial in France.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board