Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

George Karpany was born in Wellington East, The Coorong, South Australia on February 23 1893, to mother, Sarah Karpany, and father, George Karpany. George grew up as a Ngarrindjeri Aborigine with brother Willie Karpany, who later fought in the 32nd battalion. George didn’t attend school so in his early teens he was made to work as a labourer. As a labourer, he would do construction and manual labour. George joined the army on March 23, 1915, at Keswick enlistment station. George started training at Mitcham Army camp almost immediately. George was one of 4,000 troops that trained over a 12 week period, at the camp he learnt how to clean, handle and shoot a gun. He also learnt how to run with such a heavy load over long distances. After training at Mitcham for close to 12 weeks, Karpany boarded a boat from Adelaide and was sent over to Egypt for further training and preparation for Gallipoli.

Karpany boarded the HMAT A61 Kanowna from Egypt and landed at Gallipoli as part of 7th reinforcement for the 10th battalion. During this time the Anzac forces were still trying to capture the Anzac peninsula. Karpany was injured on November 13 and was sent back to Cairo to recover from a bomb wound to his head. After recovering, on February 3 1916, Karpany failed to present at guard duty and as a result, was deemed to have failed his duty as a soldier and was fined two days’ pay. Most likely after recovery, Karpany re-joined the Australian force for further training in Egypt, prior to travelling to France to fight on the Western Front.

On April 22 Karpany marched across to meet the 3rd battalion. He was based at Tel-El-K, short for Tel-El-Kebir, a large Australian base near Cairo where the growing Australian forces underwent training and further preparation for the Western Front. Karpany embarked on a ship with the 10th Battalion on May 29 from Alexandria. Most likely this ship would have sailed for the southern French port of Marseilles, where he would have boarded a special Army train to travel to the Western Front over a period of several days.

On June 7, he arrived with his Battalion at the First Division base depot in Étaples, not far from the main fighting area. In August Karpany was fighting on the Front around Pozières. Karpany was then accidentally wounded in battle on September 9. That same day he was sent back to fight and got injured again - an accidental injury to both legs, his right eye and left knee. On September 10 he was sent further back to recover. The Army realised that the wound was so bad that on September 11 Karpany was sent to England from the port of Boulogne.

After recovering from injury, Karpany was discharged from hospital on October 12, and 16 days later he was marched to the 10th battalion and was not granted a furlough. He spent the next four months in England until on February 27, 1917, where he boarded a boat and travelled back to Étaples and re-joined the 10th battalion in France in March from a field hospital. Karpany was unfortunately wounded in action in Belgium on September 20. During the time Karpany was injured the 10th battalion was taking part in the battle of Polygon Wood. For the next two months, Karpany was transferred to a number of field hospitals recovering from a bomb wound to the back.

On January 16, 1918, Karpany proceeded back to the unit, where he met back up with the 10th battalion while they were stationed at Wulverghem Camp, Belgium and on the same day, they were relieved by 2nd Infantry Brigade and proceeded to Kemmelberg, Belgium. Karpany was injured on March 1 in Hollebeke, Flanders. Karpany suffered from a gunshot wound to right thigh, left knee, shoulder and right forearm which put him out of action for 7 months. The next two months Karpany healed in the Reading War Hospital in England, as well as in Watford. On May 27 Karpany swore declaration to his true name KARPANY. Previously he was known as either CARPANY or KARPANEY.

On October 17 Karpany proceeded back overseas to France via Southampton and to join unit two days later. On October 19 Karpany re-joined the 10th battalion just in time for a bathing parade, otherwise known as a medical inspection. After the war ended, on November 23 Private George Karpany was promoted to Lance Corporal for showing tremendous leadership skills, war efforts. During all the battles Karpany showed great amounts of ANZAC spirit and courage by running into some of the most gruesome battles in history. On January 18, 1919, now Lance Corporal George Karpany was sent back to England from the port of Le Havre. Karpany would spend the next 3 months in the English village of Codford waiting for a boat back home to Australia.

On March 21 Lance Corporal George Karpany was discharged from service and returned to Australia on the Kildonan Castle, and arrived in Adelaide on May 5, 1919. When Karpany arrived back in Adelaide, he took up the occupation of a shearer. George married Dora Karpany and had a son with the name being unknown. Karpany seemed to live a happy life until he died of natural causes, on February 4, 1964, in Tailem Bend, South Australia. George peacefully died with his wife and son next to him.