Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

George Rowlands was born in Watsonville, North Queensland and stated that he was a miner when he enlisted. He was mobilised for War Service in August 1914 and on 8 August embarked Cairns for Thursday Island – Garrison Duty on the “Kanowna”. Whilst on the Island he was enlisted into the AIF -on 14 August for service outside Australia.

On 16 August he was on the “Kanowna” when she embarked to capture German New Guinea. The 'Kanowna' had stopped at Cairns on her way from Townsville to pick up the final recruits - a further 500 men coming from areas including Atherton, Yungaburra and Herberton. The volunteers were farewelled at a large parade in Cairns. They departed from Norman Park, Cairns on the 'SS Kanowna' on 11 August, 1914.

The citizens' forces were made up of men from Queensland's rifle clubs. They were a very active part of communities in the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (ANMEF). Before embarking on the 'Kanowna', they had not undergone any formal military training.

For many years Australia had a garrison that was stationed on Thursday Island. It was the citizens' forces that were called on to strengthen the small defence force that existed there. As they were only enlisted to fight on Australian soil, they were able to deploy to Thursday Island so that was where the 'Kanowna' took them. While on Thursday Island, the main tasks for the troops consisted of managing Fort Milman, which had been part of Australia’s front-line defence since 1893, and patrolling the rest of the island.

Within five days of their arrival on the Island, they were asked if they wanted to sign on for active duty overseas. Around 500 men signed on, becoming part of the 2nd Battalion, ANMEF. Those that remained on Thursday Island spent their days digging trenches, building fortifications and on guard duty before returning to home soil in November the same year. George was amongst those men who signed on for overseas service.

Without knowledge of their next destination, the 500 re-enlisted men of the 2nd Battalion again left on the 'Kanowna' the next day, heading to Fairfax Harbour, Port Moresby, where they arrived the following morning, August 18 1914. For two weeks, troops waited there for the Australian naval fleet to arrive, all of them eager to play their part in the Great War.

The departure from Cairns

During this time, the men undertook training exercises, drill duties and received lectures on scouting and skirmishing.

Finally, on September 5, 1914, Colonel W. Holmes, commander of the ANMEF from Sydney, joined the men on board the 'Kanowna' to inspect the Queensland troops before their expected departure to New Britain. The concern he had was the lack of provisions for tropical service, primarily fresh water.

The 'Kanowna' troops decided to persevere, but there was more trouble ahead for them. Not far from Port Moresby the 'Kanowna' fell behind the rest of the convoy, with the ship's master signalling to the HMAS Sydney that his crew had mutinied: the boiler stokers and firemen had stopped work. Claims were made that the mutiny was because these men refused to leave Australian waters, other claims state that the troopship was on short rations of food and water because of the delays sailing north and only minimal resupply in Port Moresby, but the stokers and firemen were requesting more water to remain hydrated in the hot boiler rooms and to wash off coal grime. They refused to work until this demand was met. The workers were taken into the custody of a party of soldiers, and the force's commander ordered the 'Kanowna' to return to Townsville, with soldiers volunteering to keep the ship running.

On arriving back in Townsville, the 'Kanowna' troops were discharged without fanfare or acclaim. "When they got back they were disappointed - they had badly wanted to continue to Rabaul and they felt that they had had a raw deal because they were the ones who had got to Port Moresby first and they didn't like to see the Sydney people continue on to do the fighting."

The Australian Commonwealth Naval Board conducted an inquiry into the mutiny, even though as a civilian vessel, the 'Kanowna' technically wasn't under their jurisdiction. The state of the supplies was seen as a major contributing factor to the sailors' actions.

Later the Queenslanders from Kanowna became known as the “Dirty 500” and despite this many of the men from North Queensland re-enlisting in the First Australian Imperial Force, where they went on to fight at Gallipoli and on the Western Front.

George was discharged on 18 September 1914, He was deemed to have qualified for the 1914-18 War Medal for his service.

His second period of enlistment was in January 1916, by which stage he was 24 years old. He would have seen the victory over German New Guinea and the Gallipoli Landings, no doubt frustrated that his prior enlistment had not amounted to much.

He arrived in England via Alexandria in November 1916 and was sent to France the following day. George served with 9th Battalion in France and into Belgium, where at Passchendaele on 20 October 1917 he was wounded in action. The wound was described as being a gun shot wound to his left leg, which was fractured. He died of his wounds on 4 November 1917.