George Shuttleworth REINECKE

REINECKE, George Shuttleworth

Service Number: 3742
Enlisted: 17 May 1915, Keswick, South Australia
Last Rank: Lieutenant
Last Unit: 52nd Infantry Battalion
Born: Kensington Park, South Australia, 29 September 1885
Home Town: Norwood (SA), South Australia
Schooling: St Peter's College, Adelaide South Australia
Occupation: Clerk
Died: Died of Wounds , France, 3 September 1916, aged 30 years
Cemetery: No known grave - "Known Unto God"
Memorials: Burnside District Fallen Soldiers' Memorial - Rose Park, Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Burnside & District - Fallen Soldiers Memorial Trees - Rose Park, Hackney St Peter's College Fallen Honour Board, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France)
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World War 1 Service

17 May 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Keswick, South Australia
2 Dec 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3742, 12th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: RMS Malwa embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: ''
2 Dec 1915: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3742, 12th Infantry Battalion, RMS Malwa, Adelaide
28 Aug 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 52nd Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières

Help us honour George Shuttleworth Reinecke's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by St Francis de Sales College

George Shuttleworth Reinecke was born on 29 September 1885, in Kensington Park Adelaide South Australia. George then moved to Norwood in Adelaide and started attending St Peters Collage in Hackney, an all boys school.

George was playing lots of cricket and football between different collages. Then on 17 May 1915 George enlisted at the age of 29 at Keswick, his occupation being listed as a clerk. {VWMA} He travelled overseas on 2 December 1915. He was now known as Private George Shuttleworth Reinecke military number 3742; he was with the 12th Battalion. They traveled via RMS Malwa a boat that was hours of traveling. George then arrived in Egypt, and George then joined the 52nd Battalion. From then George joined his team and mates and arrived at the Western Front ready for war. As the years went on George was promoted up through the ranks as Sergeant, and then promoted to second Lieutenant on the 24 April 1916. A few months later George was promoted again as Lt Reinecke on the 28 August. Lt George Shuttleworth Reinecke was fighting and he peaked his head over to see where the gunfire was coming from and George was wounded to the head during action at the Mouquet Farm, France. George was then carried to a dressing station to fix his broken arm and wounded skull but later that day George Reinecke died due to wounds that he had sustained. {TROVE}

Lt Reinecke's grave could not be located, although he may have been buried near Pozieres Cemetery. Private Frank Dick was interviewed on 30 November 1916, Frank said that George was injured near Mouquet Farm on the 3 September.” Lieutenant Reinecke and I were lying in the same shell hole about halfway across No Man’s Land during the advance. The Lieutenant put his head up to look over, when he was wounded. I was also wounded but managed to crawl away.” In an official letter to the Red Cross, Private Frederick Sims of the 4th Field Ambulance said that on 3 September his squad were carrying a wounded solider from Mouquet Farm to the Pozieres dressing station. It was described that the Lieutenant was suffering from a critical wound to his skull, as well as a broken left arm. It was reported that George then died immediately after reaching the dressing station. {VWMA} The news traveled back slowly on the 27 September 1916 Georges father expressed his gratitude by writing a letter to the telegram, thanking them for informing him that his son was wounded, but George had already died, so Georges dad didn’t know that he died until a later date.{AWM} George is now commemorated at Villers Bretonneux Memorial France along with other service men that could not be located after war.

 

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Biography

"... Lieutenant (Lt) George Shuttleworth Reinecke, 52nd Battalion from Kensington Park, South Australia. A 29 year old clerk prior to enlisting on 17 May 1915, he embarked for overseas on 2 December 1915 as 3742 Private George Shuttleworth with the 12th Reinforcements, 12th Battalion from Adelaide aboard RMS Malwa. After arriving in Egypt, he joined the 52nd Battalion and went with them to the Western Front. He was promoted through the ranks to Sergeant and then appointed Second Lieutenant on 24 April 1916 and promoted Lieutenant on 28 August 1916. Lt Reinecke was wounded in action at Mouquet Farm, France on 3 September 1916 and died of wounds that same day. There are reports that he died at the Pozieres Dressing Station and was buried near Pozieres Cemetery but after the war his grave could not be located and he is commemorated on the Australian National Memorial at Villers Bretonneux, France with others who have no known grave." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)

From the book Fallen Saints - George Shuttleworth Reinecke was born at Kensington Park, South Australia and attended St Peter's College  1897-1903. While ther he served three years in the senior cadets, played inter-collegiate cricket and football and after leaving was a clerical officer with the Commercial Bank until he joined the Tramways service as chief clerk when it opened the Hackney Depot. [i]

He enlisted at Keswick on 17 May 1915 and was posted to the Infantry Base Depot, Mitcham until transferred to the 32nd Battalion as an acting Company Sergeant Major when it was raised on 9 August. He joined the 11th quota of reinforcements for the 10th Battalion as an acting Sergeant in September and then reallotted to the 12th quota for the 12th Battalion. 

He sailed from Adelaide with that quota aboard HMAT Malwa on 2 December and transferred to the 52nd Battalion when it was raised at Tel-el-Kebir at the beginning of March 1916.

The 52nd Battalion with the 49th, 50th and 51st Battalions made up the 13th Infantry Brigade, 4th Division AIF.

Sergeant Reinecke was appointed second lieutenant in May, promoted to Lieutenant at the end of August and was wounded in action on 3 September 1916 and died the same day; he was 31 years of age.

Witness Statements [ii]

Private Frank Dick when interviewed on 30 November 1916 said he saw Lieutenant Reinecke wounded in the head near Mouquet Farm on 3 September and after another man carried him away, he never saw him again. ‘Lieutenant Reinecke and I were lying in the same shell hole about half way across No Man’s Land during the advance. The Lieutenant put his head up to look over, when he was wounded. I was also wounded but managed to crawl away.’...

In a certified letter to the Red Cross, dated 10 January 1917, Private Frederick Sims of 4th Field Ambulance stated that on 3 September, he and his squad were on duty carrying wounded from Mouquet Farm back to Pozières dressing station. Sims said his was the only squad to carry down a wounded officer on that day and described the officer as suffering from a very bad wound to the skull as well as a broken left arm and died immediately after reaching the dressing station.

News travelled slowly back then and on 27 September 1916 when Lieutenant Reinecke’s father wrote to express his gratitude for the telegram informing him his son had been wounded, George had already died. 

… We will anxiously await further news from you as he is our only son. I have 3 nephews at the front and 5 second cousins have enlisted. … [iii]



[i] Adelaide Chronicle, 21 October 1916, p. 43
[ii] Australian War Memorial, Australian Red Cross wounded and missing enquiry bureau files-Reinecke, George Shuttleworth / 2270506, viewed 20 October 2005
[iii] National Archives of Australia: B 2455, Reinecke George Shuttleworth / 8027899, viewed 20 October 2005

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