Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of Charles Albert GANDY and Isabella nee McINNES

Pte. George William Gandy, a well known Australian soldier, and formerly of the 52nd Battalion, died at the Anzac Hostel, Glenelg, on Wednesday afternoon, at the age of 39 years. The deceased was one of the first to enlist for service in the Great War, having travelled to Adelaide from a station several hundreds of miles to the north of Broken Hill, on which he was employed at the time. Being a fine bushman, and in the pink of condition, he was at once accepted for service, and it was not long before he was on his way to the front. He saw considerable service with his battalion, including hard fighting on the Somme, and it was September 3, 1916, on the occasion of the great advance by the whole allied front that Pte. Gandy was wounded, leaving him an invalid for the remainder of his life. He was shot through the spine. Pte. Gandy bore his sufferings like the brave man be was. The wound he received resulted in complete paralysis of the lower limbs, and from that day until his death—a period of nearly seven years—he lay on his back, unable to move, and absolutely dependent for every thing he required upon the kind offices of the nursing sisters, at the hostel. Pte. Gandy was a general favourite, and was spoken of by his comrades. as one of the most courageous men in the battalion. Hundreds of people who knew him learnt of his distress with deep regret. Prior to entering the Anzac Hostel three years ago he had been, an inmate of the Keswick, and Torrens Park military hospitals, and the, Lady Galway Club House. His only, relative is Mrs. A. Gason, of Magill road, Newetead.