STEWART, George Pemberton
| Service Number: | Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Second Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | Unspecified British Units |
| Born: | Glenelg, South Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Hahndorf College and St Peters College, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Loos, France , 25 September 1915, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Dud Corner Cemetery, Loos, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Gilberton Soldiers Memorial Swimming Reserve, Hackney St Peter's College Fallen Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 25 Sep 1915: | Involvement Second Lieutenant, Officer, Unspecified British Units |
|---|
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George Pemberton Stewart was born at Glenelg South Australia. He was a resident pupil of the Hahndorf College in the Adelaide Hills until 1897 when he left to attend the Collegiate School of St Peter.
After leaving school, he started a small business in Adelaide and subsequently went to South Africa, where he spent ten years farming. When war was declared in 1914, George sailed for London, where he enlisted with the 6th Dragoon Guards as a private.
As the 6th were not immediately proceeding overseas he joined a draft of reinforcements for the 3rd Dragoon Guards in December and transferred to that regiment in Flanders. There he took part in severe trench fighting and was promoted to lance corporal and then corporal.
He was entrusted with urgent messages, and successfully carried out his duties under fire. He was mentioned in despatches, and awarded the D.C.M. for his gallant conduct and promoted to lieutenancy in the Cameron Highlanders. He participated in the British advance at Loos, and was killed there in action between September 25th and 29th. [i]
The 1st Battalion, Queens Own Cameron Highlanders was raised at Edinburgh, Scotland on 4 August 1914 and ten days after arriving in France, was attached to the 1st Brigade, 1st Division of the British Army Expeditionary Force. [ii]
A letter to the St Peters School Magazine, jointly written by Reginald Coulter, Leslie Pellew, Ronald Horwood and Arnold Knapman (all then serving in the 27th Battalion AIF) included the following extract from a South African newspaper.
Lance Corporal G.P. Stewart, a South African volunteer, carried messages across the open fire, instead of creeping along the communication trench, in order to save time. This act was mentioned in a cable message as a conspicuously brave one. [iii]
Second Lieutenant George Stewart DCM, of the 1st Battalion Cameron Highlanders was killed in action at Loos on 25 September 1915; he was 28 years of age.
According to an article published in an Adelaide newspaper in October 1915, Lieutenant Stewart DCM was twice mentioned in despatches.
Lieutenant Stewart received his decoration for bravery in carrying messages across the open under fire during two fights at Hooge, near Ypres, being mentioned in dispatches on May 13 and again on June 2. [iv]
George’s younger brother, Maxwell Graham Stewart also an old St Peters College student died of wounds in July 1917.
[i] St Peter’s School Magazine - W K Thomas & Co, Adelaide, August 1915, p. 73
[ii] James, E A, Historical Records of British Infantry Regiments in the Great War 1914-1918, Rank Xerox Copy Bureau, Birmingham Revised Edition, 1976, p. 171
[iii] St Peter’s School Magazine - W K Thomas & Co, Adelaide, August 1915, p. 73
[iv] Adelaide Chronicle, 16 October 1915, p. 42
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