NITZ, George William
| Service Number: | QX28674 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 January 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/15th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Laidley, Queensland, Australia, 3 August 1922 |
| Home Town: | Gatton, Lockyer Valley, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Truck Driver |
| Died: | Killed in Action, New Guinea, 29 September 1943, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
Lae War Cemetery Plot AA, Row D, Grave 7 Headstone inscription reads:Loved in life...honoured in death his dudty nobly done Roll of honour - Gatton, QLD |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Gatton Weeping Mother Memorial, Townsville 2/12th Battalion Roll of Honour |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Private, QX28674, 2nd/15th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Jan 1942: | Enlisted | |
| 10 Jan 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, QX28674, 2nd/15th Infantry Battalion | |
| 29 Sep 1943: | Discharged |
George's Story
George enlisted for service with the Australian Army as a Private on the 10th January 1942 at the age of 19, service number QX28674. After initial training in south-eastern and western Queensland, he was assigned to the 2/15th Battalion on or about 22nd August 1942 and soon after was transported to the Middle East to join the battalion, arriving on the 16th October 1942. Shortly after arriving, the 2/15th, as part of 20 Brigade, was moved from Syria to Egypt where George fought in the battle of El Alamein which lasted several weeks.
Departing Egypt on the 25th January 1943, George and the 2/15th travelled to Sydney where many soldiers took some well-deserved leave. It is unknown if this included George as there is no evidence of leave being taken. Sometime in late July 1943 the battalion travelled to Cairns where they undertook jungle training in the Atherton Tablelands and then embarked a ship for transit to Milne Bay, PNG arriving on the 4th August.
On the 4th September the battalion landed on Red Beach, 15 miles north-west of Lae as part of the offensive against the Japanese who were holding Lae and surrounding areas. On the 22nd September, the 2/15th, as part of 9th Division, fought its way ashore at Scarlet Beach north of Finschhafen. It was during the subsequent push south from Scarlet Beach to drive the Japanese out of the Finschhafen area that George was killed in action on the 29th September 1943. He was initially buried in the Finschhafen War Cemetery on the 16th October, though on 29th April of the following year (1944) he was relocated into a different plot nearby. On the 8th July 1946 many of those buried at Finschhafen were relocated to the Lae War Cemetery and George was reburied here in plot AA D7.
Based on George’s service in several theatres of war, including North Africa and the Pacific (PNG), he was entitled to the following medals:
• Africa Star
• 1939-45 Star
• Pacific Star
• 1939-45 War Medal
• Australia Service Medal 1939 – 1945
Researched by Jason Nitz
Submitted 3 September 2022 by Jason Nitz
Biography contributed by Carol Foster
Son of George Alfred and Margaret Louise Emma Nitz of Gatton, QLD
Biography contributed by Jason Nitz
George enlisted for service with the Australian Army as a Private on the 10th January 1942 at the age of 19, service number QX28674. After initial training in south-eastern and western Queensland, he was assigned to the 2/15th Battalion on or about 22nd August 1942 and soon after was transported to the Middle East to join the battalion, arriving on the 16th October 1942. Shortly after arriving, the 2/15th, as part of 20 Brigade, was moved from Syria to Egypt where George fought in the battle of El Alamein which lasted several weeks.
Departing Egypt on the 25th January 1943, George and the 2/15th travelled to Sydney where many soldiers took some well-deserved leave. It is unknown if this included George as there is no evidence of leave being taken. Sometime in late July 1943 the battalion travelled to Cairns where they undertook jungle training in the Atherton Tablelands and then embarked a ship for transit to Milne Bay, PNG arriving on the 4th August.
On the 4th September the battalion landed on Red Beach, 15 miles north-west of Lae as part of the offensive against the Japanese who were holding Lae and surrounding areas. On the 22nd September, the 2/15th, as part of 9th Division, fought its way ashore at Scarlet Beach north of Finschhafen. It was during the subsequent push south from Scarlet Beach to drive the Japanese out of the Finschhafen area that George was killed in action on the 29th September 1943. He was initially buried in the Finschhafen War Cemetery on the 16th October, though on 29th April of the following year (1944) he was relocated into a different plot nearby. On the 8th July 1946 many of those buried at Finschhafen were relocated to the Lae War Cemetery and George was reburied there in plot AA D7.
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