DREWS, George Edward
| Service Numbers: | Q135873, QX62091 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 April 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 8 Infantry Battalion AMF |
| Born: | Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, 6 August 1922 |
| Home Town: | Bundaberg, Bundaberg, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Cane Cutter |
| Died: | Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, 9 July 1992, aged 69 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Bundaberg General Cemetery, Queensland |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 14 Apr 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, Q135873, 47th Infantry Battalion AMF | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 May 1944: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, Q135873, 8 Infantry Battalion AMF, embarked Cairns for Lae on board SS Both | |
| 10 Sep 1944: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, Q135873, 8 Infantry Battalion AMF | |
| 11 Sep 1944: | Involvement Private, Q135873, also QX62091 | |
| 11 Sep 1944: | Involvement Private, QX62091, also Q135873 | |
| 11 Sep 1944: | Enlisted | |
| 11 Sep 1944: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, QX62091, 8 Infantry Battalion AMF | |
| 26 Sep 1944: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, QX62091, 8 Infantry Battalion AMF, embarked Lae for Emirau Island on board Carlos Carilla | |
| 22 Jan 1946: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, QX62091, 8 Infantry Battalion AMF, embarked Torokina for Sydney on board SS Nordness | |
| 4 Feb 1946: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, QX62091, 8 Infantry Battalion AMF | |
| 4 Feb 1946: | Discharged |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Youngest of three brothers (Henry and Monty) who served in WWII, Private George Edward Drews (Service Nos:Q135873/QX62091) initially served in the ACMF with 29 Training Battalion and 47th Infantry Battalion (14 April 1942 - 10 Septemebr 1944) - Driver Mechanic. Private Drews was attached to 8th Infantry Battalion on 19 May 1944 when he embarked with his Unit from Cairns for Lae on board SS Both, and was 'in the field' on 11 September 1944 when he transferred to the AIF. Private Drews served with the 8th Infantry Battalion on Emirau Island (in the Bismarck Archipeligo) - the 8th's role on the Island was to 'defend the airfield and conduct surveillance of the surrounding islands still occupied by the Japanese' (AWM). Embarking from Torokina for Sydney on board SS Nordness on 22 January 1946, Private Drews was attached to 8 Infantry Battalion at Discharge on 4 February 1946.
George was born in Bundaberg, QLD in 1922, eighth of nine children of August Ernst Drews (b1879 in Eckertsberge, Germany) and Sarah Ovinia Gaffel (b1883 in Bundaberg, QLD). August immigrated with his parents and siblings in 1881, arriving in Brisbane on board the Windsor Castle and living in Laidley before the family settled in Bundaberg. August and Sarah married in 1903 in Bundaberg, where they settled and raised their family. August worked as a Labourer and Dairyman, and was 'a keen athlete, and his sons are well known cyclists in the district' (Trove; 1938).
George was working in Bundaberg as a Cane Cutter in 1942, and with his brothers was a member of the Burnett Wheelers Cyclist Club, when he enlisted in the Army. Following his Discharge, George worked as a Carpenter in Bundaberg where, in 1947, he married Josephine (Josie) Halley Gibson (b1925 in Bundaberg, QLD). George and Josie lived in Bundaberg, where they raised their family and George was a Carpenter. In the late 1950s they settled in Moore Park at Musgrave via Bundaberg - George was a Farmer. George died in 1992 and Josie in 2001.
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