EASTON, George Campbell
| Service Number: | 554 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Machine Gun Battalion |
| Born: | Balmain, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1887 |
| Home Town: | Camperdown, Inner West, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Keyworth Superior Public School, Leichhardt, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Commercial Traveller |
| Died: | Influenza & pneumonia & Synovitis of knee, Barry Road Hospital, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England , 4 November 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Northampton (Towcester Road) Cemetery Northamptonshire, England Plot number 446. 3. 17320 and has a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 554, 5th Machine Gun Company, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Orsova embarkation_ship_number: A67 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 554, 5th Machine Gun Company, HMAT Orsova, Melbourne | |
| 4 Nov 1918: | Involvement Corporal, 554, 2nd Machine Gun Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 554 awm_unit: 2nd Australian Machine Gun Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1918-11-04 |
Help us honour George Campbell Easton's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Cathy Sedgwick
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick (OAM) – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland”
George Campbell Easton was born at Balmain, Sydney, NSW in 1887 to parents John Alexander and Elizabeth Ambrosine Easton (nee Bradley).
According to information supplied by his mother for the Roll of Honour – George Easton had served for 4 years with Scottish Rifles Regiment in Sydney, NSW.
He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 24th May, 1916 as a 9 year old, single, Commercial Traveller from 20 Rowley Street, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW.
Private George Campbell Easton, Service number 554, embarked from Melbourne, Victoria on HMAT Orsova (A67) on 6th December, 1916 with the 5th Machine Gun Company, 9th Reinforcements & disembarked at Plymouth, England on 17th February, 1917.
Reinforcements were only given basic training in Australia. Training was completed in training units in England. Some of these were located in the Salisbury Plain & surrounding areas in the county of Wiltshire.
He was marched in from Australia to Australian Details Camp 6 & 7 at Perham Downs, Wiltshire on 18th February, 1917.
On 24th February, 1917 Private Easton was marched out to Australian Machine Gun Training Depot at Belton Park, Grantham.
He proceeded overseas to France on 24th April, 1917 from Australian Machine Gun Training Depot at Grantham & was taken on strength of 5th Machine Gun Company in the field on 6th May, 1917.
Private George Campbell Easton was wounded in action on 4th October, 1917. He was admitted to 64th Field Ambulance with shrapnel wounds to knee then transferred to 11th Casualty Clearing Station on 5th October, 1917. Private Easton was transferred to Ambulance Train & admitted to 3rd Canadian General Hospital at Boulogne, France on 5th October, 1917. He was transferred to No. 7 Convalescent Depot at Boulogne on 7th October, 1917. Private Easton was transferred to No. 10 Convalescent Depot on 9th October, 1917 then transferred to No. 3 Rest Camp at Ecault on 18th October, 1917.
From the War Diary of 5th Australian Machine Gun Company – they were at Draught House on 4th October, 1917. The Casualties for the day were 1 Officer wounded, 4 ORs Killed & 20 ORs wounded.
On 21st October, 1917 Private Easton joined M.G.B.D. (Machine Gun Base Depot) at Camiers, France. He was classified as “P.B.” (Permanent Base duties – unfit for active service but fit for service in base areas) & despatched to England on 31st October, 1917.
He was marched in to No. 2 Command Depot at Weymouth, England from France on 1st November, 1917. The Hospital Admissions form for No. 2 Command Depot recorded Private Easton was examined on 2nd November, 1917 for Synovitis of left knee – “very little beyond a little looseness of patella. States always had a bad knee but was blown up by a shell & injured again”. He was classified as B1 A2 (fit for Overseas training camp in three to four weeks). Private Easton was marched out from No. 2 Command Depot at Weymouth on 9th November, 1917 & marched in to No. 1 Command Depot at Sutton Veny, Wiltshire on 10th November, 1917.
Private Easton was marched in from furlo & classified as B1 A2 (fit for Overseas training camp in three to four weeks) at No. 1 Command Depot, Sutton Veny on 29th October, 1917 (date as per Casualty Form – Active Service however date should probably read 29th November, 1917.)
On 21st December, 1917 Private Easton was marched in to Overseas Training Brigade at Longbridge Deverill from No. 1 Command Depot at Sutton Veny.
He was marched out to Machine Gun Training Depot at Grantham on 3rd January, 1918 from Overseas Training Brigade at Longbridge Deverill. Private Easton proceeded overseas to France on 8th February, 1918 & was marched in to M.G.C.B.D. (Machine Gun Company Base Depot) at Camiers, France on 8th February, 1918. He was marched out to 5th Machine Gun Company on 18th February, 1918 & rejoined his Unit from wounds in England on 15th February, 1918.
On 24th July, 1918 Private Easton was promoted to Temporary Corporal with 2nd Machine Gun Battalion then promoted to Corporal the same day.
Corporal George Campbell Easton was injured accidentally on 11th September, 1918 – sprained left knee joint. He was admitted to 7th Field Ambulance on 28th September, 1918 with a knee injury then transferred to 55th Casualty Clearing Station the same day. Corporal Easton was transferred & admitted to 6th General Hospital at Rouen, France on 30th September, 1918. He embarked for England on 2nd October, 1918.
On 3rd October, 1918 Corporal Easton was admitted to Northampton War Hospital at Duston, Northamptonshire, England. The Hospital Admissions form was stamped with “Auxiliary Military Hospital, Barry Road, Northampton.”
Corporal George Campbell Easton died on 4th November, 1918 at Barry Road Hospital, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England from Influenza & pneumonia & Synovitis of knee.
He was buried in Towcester Road Cemetery, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England where 8 other WW1 Australian Soldiers are buried.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/northampton---towcester.html
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