Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

George Hugh was born in Kerang to William Meharry and Sarah Fellows on March 18, 1887. He lived at Kerang with his mother and siblings for most of his childhood, as his father had left for work as a builder in Marracoonda, Western Australia, with his eldest son Robert and uncle Thomas. While in Kerang, he was involved in an accident which resulted in his arm being severely broken, impacting his movement into his adult years. He contracted Measles when he was 13 years old, but recovered remarkably quickly, and was not very sick. George and his family moved to Marracoonda in 1902, where he spent his remaining schooldays. When he was an adult, he moved to Bridgetown, and worked as a commercial traveller and a Clerk at Dalgety’s. His brother, Charles, had died January the previous year while en route to Egypt, and his mother had demanded that none of his sons sign up for war service. On 12 June 1916, his mother passed away from a growth in her bladder. George signed up for war service two days later, the first of his remaining brothers to do so.
Upon enlistment, was assigned to the 4/44th battalion. They went to Britain for additional training, then proceeded to France 4/2/17. George spent the winter of 1917 alternating between service on the front lines, and labouring in the rear. George developed a bad case of mumps just days before they were due to leave for the front lines, so he was sent straight to the hospital in Camiers. During his stay, his battalion had their first taste of combat on March 13, when half the battalion was committed to an ill fated major raid, which ultimately proved unsuccessful. He caught conjunctivitis while being treated, which meant that he completely missed the raid. He returned on the 23/4/17. In the following months, they were employed to the Ypres sector, taking part in another major raid on Broodseinde ridge on the 7th of June. Of the 992 men in the battalion, only 158 were uninjured by October 21. George was one of those few men, having only suffered an accidental injury when a cartridge exploded in his ammunition pouch, scarring his penis. He pushed through the pain, and kept fighting. He was not admitted to hospital.
Belgium remained the primary focus of the battalion for a further 5 months, pushing towards Amiens after the Germans made their last great offensive in March 1918. The 44th took part in the preparatory battle of Hamel on July 4, and was part of the first wave when the offensive itself was launched on August 8. George would be injured two days later when a bomb exploded at his right side, embedding shrapnel in his hip and buttock. Despite this injury caused nerve damage which persisted for the rest of his life, he was never given a war pension. He was admitted to hospital for two months. During his hospitalisation, the 44th engaged in their final major action on the Hindenburg line along the Mont St Quentin Canal. The 44th was relieved of duty on October 3, with only 80 men active on the field. George was sent home on January 2, 1919.
Back at home, George struggled to return to his normal life, and had a problem with drinking, which was only further influenced by the death of his father in 1921, who had suffered a stroke 10 years prior after he ran to his wife’s call to kill a snake. At the time, he was a manager at dowerin farmers co-op, but was fired in 1924 for drinking on the job. He worked at a construction yard for 3 months before trying travelling work with his brother at Morowa for 6 months. He then completed stock work for Mr J.A Barry for 9 months before quitting. He did not find a stable source of work until at least 1931, when he began a career as a Railway Repairer. By this time, he had moved to the town of Three Springs, but despite having a stable job and good residence, he had yet to find a wife.
On May 3, 1942, George enlisted for service in the Second World War at the age of 55. He was assigned to the 2/13th Battalion “Devil’s Own”, who had spent the last month defending Tobruk. He trained for four months in Moora, WA until he developed a sudden illness while at camp. He was moved to Moora Hospital, where he passed away on September 18, 1942.