FLEMING, George
| Service Number: | 2302 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 29 May 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 36th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Newcastle New South Wales, Australia, November 1878 |
| Home Town: | Islington, Newcastle, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Fitter |
| Died: | Shell blast, Dressing Station Pont D'Eschelles, Messines, France, 8 June 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Pont d'Achelles Military Cemetery, France Plot II, Row A, Grave No. 17 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 29 May 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2302, 36th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 2302, 36th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Borda embarkation_ship_number: A30 public_note: '' | |
| 17 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 2302, 36th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Borda, Sydney | |
| 9 May 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2302, 36th Infantry Battalion |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
George FLEMING (Service Number 2302) was born in Newcastle in 1878. He joined the NSWGR as a fuelman at Murrurundi in 1911 and in 1913 became sand burner there, preparing sand for use by locomotives (to help prevent slipping and assist braking). In 1914 he was transferred to the Hamilton locomotive depot in the same capacity, and in January 1916 was promoted to fitter’s labourer there, but on 29 May he enlisted in the AIF in Newcastle.
On 7 June 1916 he was hit in the head by shrapnel during the Battle of Messines and died at a field ambulance station the following day. He was buried in the Pont d’Achelles Military Cemetery, three miles NW of Armentières, leaving a wife and five children surviving him, for whom war pensions were granted.
Submitted 6 July 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
George FLEMING (Service Number 2302) was born in Newcastle in 1878. He joined the NSW Government Railways as a fuelman at Murrurundi in 1911. In 1913 he became sand burner there, preparing sand for use by locomotives (to help prevent slipping and assist braking). In 1914 he was transferred to the Hamilton locomotive depot in the same capacity,. In January 1916 he was promoted to fitter’s labourer at Hamilton.
On 29th May 1916 he enlisted in the AIF in Newcastle.
He embarked from Sydney in the troopship ‘Borda’ in October 1916. Hhe travelled ‘round the Horn’ to England.
He failed to report on parade when required at Freetown, Sierra Leone, in November, for which he was punished by 24 hours detention and the loss of two days’ pay.
He landed in England in January 1917. He was sent to France and joined his battalion on 21st May.
On 7th June he was hit in the head by shrapnel during the Battle of Messines. He died at a field ambulance station the following day. He was buried in the Pont d’Achelles Military Cemetery, three miles NW of Armentières.
He left a wife and five children for whom war pensions were granted.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
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