BUNN, George
| Service Number: | 216 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 August 1914, Enlisted at Sydney, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 4th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Lambeth, London, England, 1890 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Private School, London, England |
| Occupation: | Locomotive Fireman |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Gallipoli, Gallipoli, Dardanelles, Turkey, 6 August 1915 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing, Murrurundi Bowls Club Cenotaph and Memorial Gates |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 216, 4th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Sydney, NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 216, 4th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 216, 4th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Sydney | |
| 2 May 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 4th Infantry Battalion, Promoted while at Gallipoli | |
| 6 Aug 1915: | Involvement Corporal, 216, 4th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 216 awm_unit: 4th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1915-08-06 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
George Bunn, (Service Number 216) was born in London on 9 December 1889. He had been a casual cleaner at Murrurundi Locomotive Depot from 3 December 1913 and made a permanent employee from 17 February. Within a fortnight of the outbreak of the war in August 1914, Bunn had enlisted in the AIF and the next entry in his record is of his promotion to Corporal at Gallipoli in early May 1915.
The promotion raised issues with the Railways, and they wrote to the military authorities, where the letter survives in Bunn’s file. They needed to know the date as they had guaranteed his pay at the pre-war rate, and once his pay increased, as a Corporal, there was a smaller margin for them to have to make up. Bunn was reprimanded for dereliction to duty and became missing in action between 6 – 9 August 1915. These bracketed dates include the battles of Lone Pine and The Nek and the intensity of fighting was such that details of individual deaths will never be known. His body was never located, and as is the case for all unknown graves at Gallipoli the name is commemorated on the memorial at Lone Pine. It was not until a Court of Enquiry was held in April 1916 at Flairbax, France, months after Gallipoli had been evacuated, that it was formally ruled that he had been killed in action.
(NAA B2455-3166552)
Submitted 12 May 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by Carol Foster
Arrived in Australia aged 18 years. Address at the time of enlistment was Tattersalls Hotel, Murrunindi, NSW
Son of Thomas Bunn 167 Camberwell Road, London, England
Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Served in the London Volunteer Rifles until it was disbanded