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George, born in Summertown in the Adelaide Hills on the 20th June 1916, was the second son of John Leonard Driver. His siblings included brothers Ronald and Sydney. Their father was a market gardener who regularly transported his fresh produce to the city to trade. The family soon moved to King Street, Burnside where John was employed as a powder monkey, lighting the fuse in the quarries run by John Dunstan & Co. George had just turned 17 when his father received facial and eye injuries plus a lacerated scalp in a premature explosion, being treated in the Adelaide Hospital before being discharged
George worked as an accountant for E. J. Truscott and proved to be a talented sportsman at a time when summer and winter competitions were in distinct seasons. At the end of March ’39 George played cricket for Kensington one Saturday, then the following weekend ran out onto the oval with Norwood football as a follower, as did a close friend, half forward, Ross Moyle. George was a promising junior footballer with the Redlegs football team, at the commencement of the ’38 season becoming one of five juniors to train with the league team as a gifted backman who had continued to impress selectors.
In summer George played cricket for the Kensington Club. The talented Bradman also played for the Club, including in ’38 on his return from his test tour of England. That season, George opened the bowling for the Club’s B team as well as taking over as secretary. He was described as ‘George Driver, promising young fast medium bowler for Kensington, who is the best pace bowler in the side, took three for 26’ in an early match. As Secretary, part of his role was to coordinate with other District Cricket Clubs as happened in ’39. The Clubs combined, organising a District Cricket Ball where miniature cricket bats autographed by members of the SA state team were sold s part of the fundraising for the Red Cross. It was a hugely successful evening with over 500 attending. Entertainment included a gymnastics exhibition by the Fire Brigade and a miniature bike race between the cricketers. George organised his local Kensington team to attend as a party group, with those in the party including Shirley Currie who was to play a significant role in his future.
Just prior to Christmas in December ’39 George and Shirley Jean Currie of Reade Park announced their engagement. However, with the outbreak of WWII, 24-year-old George enlisted to serve on the 19th June ’40 being allocated the number SX7357 and placed in the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. His background as an accountant was immediately an asset, as he was attached as Pay Sergeant.
His League football team at Norwood immediately began accumulating the names of thoe footballers and trainers who had already enlisted. By the beginning of August 40 this list already included 34 young men, including George and Ross Moyle who enlisted at a similar time. Ross became SX7031 in the 2/8th Field ambulance. He married soon after, with his 2/8th Field Ambulance Battalion forming a guard of honour for him and his new wife, Shirley Langman. Having been both cricket and football team mates, Ross chose George to be his best man. (Two years later, Ross was to die of wounds in Egypt on the 24 October, 42 aged 29.)
Whilst on pre-embarkation leave George and Shirley married on Shirley’s birthday the following year, the 26th October ’40. By that stage, George was already a Seargent, and had selected the Army Chaplain, Reverend W.G. Clarke to conduct the 7:30pm ceremony in the Unley Methodist Church King William road, Hyde Park. George’s brother, Ron was his best man.
All too soon George sailed for the Middle East on the Stratheden on the 7th November ’40, arriving on the 17th December. A firm friendship developed between George and SX7455 Corporal Noel Ditty, who oversaw in-coming and out-going mail, and worked frenetically soon after the battalion arrived. John Glenn in Tobruk to Tarakan recorded that “Another man, no less busy, was George Driver, the pay sergeant, whose job it was to see the payment of mils, in endeavour to keep up the demands of the cinema and the canteen. Ten mils was equivalent to threepence Australian. With prices for admission to the cinema at thirty mils, and with two fried eggs, coffee and two slices of toast at forty mils, the troops were able to attend an occasional show, and to supplement the army issue of food which in the early days of Dimra was not of the best.”
In June ‘41 the following year, George’s close friend and tent companion, Sergeant Noel Ditty had a strange and amusing experience that was also shared in Tobruk to Tarakan.
“In a wadi in headquarters company area I was sleeping in the open on a pathway not far from George Driver (SX7357) when I suddenly felt something sniffing at me. I brushed it away. Then I really woke up. We had no dogs… I looked and, in the moonlight, I saw what I took to be a leopard moving away. When I reported the matter to Major Bull he was very sympathetic, and made remarks about somebody being a bit bomb happy, or perhaps subject to nightmares. In the morning I searched the ground, and then went over and asked Major Bull to come over and look at the tracks the nightmare had made. These were too large for an Alsatian which we knew the enemy were using to counter our patrols. Later in the morning a party of us left on a wadi patrol. Suddenly we saw a huge animal basking on the rocks at the bottom of a wadi. A hand grenade brought it bounding up the side, where it was brought to earth by a burst from a Bren. My nightmare had turned out to be a leopard, after all.”
Later that year on the 6th October, soon after the arrival of the 3rd Polish Battalion, a lone plane persistently circled George’s area before dropping twenty anti-personnel bombs, creating smoke, dust and blinding flashes above the 2/48th men. George Fenwick was killed, Sergeants Noel Ditty and George Driver wounded as was Private Arthur Bland. George sustained a gunshot wound to his left thigh and was hospitalised for two months before he could return to his battalion.
The October issue of the Advertiser reported that “Mrs. G. H. Driver, of The Grove, Reade Park, has been notified that her husband, Pay-Sgt. Driver, was wounded in action on October 6. Before enlisting, Pay-Sgt. Driver was employed as accountant in the office of E. J. Truscott, and was secretary and bowler for the Kensington Cricket Club. He enlisted in June 1940, and sailed for overseas in November.
The Chronicle also listed those from the 2/48th who were killed and wounded in the encounter. They included Killed In Action.— Pte. Irvin. G. Fenwick, SX8001, Lameroo. Wounded In Action.— Sgt. George H. Driver, SX7357, Burnside and L/Sgt. Noel F. Ditty, SX7455, Kooringa.
George’s 30-year-old married brother, Sidney Albert enlisted soon after on the 22nd December ’41 as S112260, training as a mechanic with the Army Inspection Staff.
Mid-June ’42 George was extremely unfortunate to be bitten by a scorpion, causing a further two weeks of hospitalisation before he could return briefly to the 2/48th. He was soon embarked at West Point for the Suez, in April ’43 disembarking at Aden before being transferred to Bombay a month later, then home to Australia via Melbourne arriving at the start of June.
On the 19th September most of the battalion headed towards the 2/12th Australian Field Artillery Regiment’s football ground for the 9th Division premiership. Practically the whole of the battalion went by motor transport for the match between the 2/48th and the 2/9th Div Cavalry Regiment. Lieut-General Morshead and Major General Wooten, who were present, saw the 2/48th win by the narrow margin of three points in one of the best matches ever played between the units. This was the third time the 2/48th had won the Divisional premiership. John Glenn revealed the reason for their success was evident in the list of those who played for the battalion; their names appearing among those of league players before the war. Driver was amongst them.
With such a strong civilian background in accountancy, George’s skills were also highly regarded in the army. Consequently, numerous promotions followed including Lieutenant in October ’44 before he was finally discharged on the 30th January ’46. His brother Sydney had been discharged a fortnight earlier, on the 16th January.
George returned to playing both cricket and football in Port Lincoln that year, for a team called High School. In October, George took 6 wickets for 18 runs in a most impressive innings, followed by scoring 23 runs at bat. The Port Lincoln Times described his performance as ‘George Driver, former Kensington district cricketer, completely routed Flinders' side in their second innings ; he is also a batsman capable of scoring runs at a fast rate.’ Later in the season the newspaper reported that ‘George Driver pinned the batsmen down in his 10 overs for 4 wickets.’ However, the vagaries of cricket also saw him being caught out to a great catch by Darcy Harvey. Soon after, the statistics were published showing that George had the best bowling average for wickets taken with 15 wickets for 117 runs, averaging 7.8. His good form with the bat continued the next year, scoring 84 runs against Ramblers and he also continued with his fine bowling.
Playing for Tasman in the winter football season of ’47 George scored well, coming third in the best utility man category, announced at the Tasman Victory Social. He was also presented with a special trophy for valuable service rendered during the season. He later assumed the role of Skipper for Tasmans in ’49, George continued his fine bowling.
George stood for Councillor of Tod Ward in the ’49 elections (elected unopposed) and continued to act in this role for several years. Not unexpectedly with his background in accounting, George became chairman of the Finance Committee, travelling to Adelaide in ’51 for the general meting of the Municipal Association of South Australia in the Town Hall. He eventually returned to live in Adelaide, but continued to return to Lincoln to play golf with friends. He also sponsored a trophy for the Bronze Meeting of the SA Lady Golfers’ Union held at Port Lincoln in ’61.
Aged 81, George died on the 31st December 1997. He now rests in the Centennial Park Cemetery, RSL Wall 133 Niche GO12. Shirley lived a further two years and died on the 3rd November 1999. She also rests in Centennial Park in the Services Family Rose Bed 12, Position 128.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.