POLLINGTON, George David
| Service Numbers: | 1972, V13072 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 June 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 24th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Oakleigh, Victoria, Australia, 29 April 1891 |
| Home Town: | Clunes, Hepburn, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Grocers assistant |
| Died: | Wycheproof, Victoria, Australia, 29 July 1965, aged 74 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Wycheproof Public Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Murtoa Memorial Gates, Wycheproof War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1972, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 26 Aug 1915: | Involvement Private, 1972, 24th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '14' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Anchises embarkation_ship_number: A68 public_note: '' | |
| 26 Aug 1915: | Embarked Private, 1972, 24th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Anchises, Melbourne | |
| 2 Dec 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
| 19 Mar 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
| 6 Sep 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
| 1 Jan 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 24th Infantry Battalion, Later promoted to Temporary Captain on 1/5/1918 | |
| 19 Apr 1917: | Honoured Military Medal, Mouquet Farm, For distinguished conduct as Platoon Sergeant and fearless conduct under fire during the attack and subsequent consolidation on 4th/5th August, 1916. | |
| 5 Oct 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 1972, 24th Infantry Battalion, Montbrehain, GSW to Abdomen - awarded MC for this action | |
| 26 May 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 1972, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
| 25 Mar 1920: | Honoured Military Cross, Montbrehain, 'During the operations before Beaurevoir, on 4th October 1918, he led his comapny with conspicuous skill and courage. He led an attack on an enemy machine gun post, captured four guns, and killed the garrison, nine in all. He took his objective and consolildated. Later, he led his men in attacks on enemy strong posts, and was severely wounded.' |
World War 2 Service
| 10 Apr 1941: | Enlisted V13072 |
|---|
Captain George David Pollington MC MM
The stories behind the faces:
Captain George David Pollington MC MM O/N 1972 (WW1) / V13072 (WW2).
George Pollington was a 24 year old single grocer’s assistant when he enlisted in the AIF in June 1915. He nominated his sister Louise as his next of kin.
George was allocated as a member of the 3rd reinforcements for the 24th Battalion AIF and he embarked for the Middle East in August 1915 on the HMAT A68 Anchises. The reinforcements landed on Gallipoli in October 1915, and George was promoted to Corporal just before the evacuation and to Sergeant in March 1916.
He was recommended for a Mentioned in Despatches in September 1916 for his “Gallant conduct in connection with recent hard fighting at Pozieres “. The following month he was awarded the Military Medal. George was commissioned in the field in September 1916 as the battalion had lost many junior officers. He would remain with the 24th Battalion until just before the end of the war, except for a six month secondment to the Training Battalion in England in late 1917. He was promoted to Temporary Captain in May 1918 but relinquished his rank when he received an abdomen wound in October 1918 in one of the Battalion’s last actions.
George embarked for Australia on the SS Ceramic in January 1919, catching the Spanish Influenza on the trip, resulting in him being landed to hospital at Port Said in Egypt. He survived the flu and returned to Australia the next month, ironically on the Ceramic’s next voyage. He was discharged from the AIF in May 1919. Three months later he was belatedly awarded the Military Cross for his Gallantry in Action in 1918.
After his discharge George took up a Soldier’s Settlement Block near Dumosa in Victoria, and in 1931 he married 36 year old Margaret Winifred (Winnie) Forrester.
In 1941 George was mobilised in the Militia for full time home service. He served on the staff of the Prisoner of War camp at Hamilton Victoria and was promoted to Captain in 1943. In December 1944 he was injured when a service truck overturned resulting in him being hospitalised in Wangaratta - he discharged from the forces soon after.
George returned to the farm and Winnie. He passed away in Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital in Melbourne in July 1965 aged 74.
Submitted 11 January 2026 by Anthony Vine
Biography contributed by Anthony Vine
Captain George David Pollington MC MM
George Pollington was a 24 year old single grocer’s assistant when he enlisted in the AIF in June 1915. He nominated his sister Louise as his next of kin.
George was allocated as a member of the 3rd reinforcements for the 24th Battalion AIF and he embarked for the Middle East in August 1915 on the HMAT A68 Anchises. The reinforcements landed on Gallipoli in October 1915, and George was promoted to Corporal just before the evacuation and to Sergeant in March 1916.
He was Mentioned in Despatches in September 1916 for his “Gallant conduct in connection with recent hard fighting at Pozieres “. The following month he was awarded the Military Medal. George was commissioned in the field in September 1916 as the battalion had lost many junior officers. He would remain with the 24th Battalion until just before the end of the war, except for a six month secondment to the Training Battalion in England in late 1917. He was promoted to Temporary Captain in May 1918 but relinquished his rank when he received an abdomen wound in October 1918 in one of the Battalion’s last actions.
George embarked for Australia on the SS Ceramic in January 1919, catching the Spanish Influenza on the trip, resulting in him being landed to hospital at Port Said in Egypt. He survived the flu and returned to Australia the next month, ironically on the Ceramic’s next voyage. He was discharged from the AIF in May 1919. Three months later he was belatedly awarded the Military Cross for his Gallantry in Action in 1918.
After his discharge George took up a Soldier’s Settlement Block near Dumosa in Victoria, and in 1931 he married 36 year old Margaret Winifred (Winnie) Forrester.
In 1941 George was mobilised in the Militia for full time home service. He served on the staff of the Prisoner of War camp at Hamilton Victoria and was promoted to Captain in 1943. In December 1944 he was injured when a service truck overturned resulting in him being hospitalised in Wangaratta - he discharged from the forces soon after.
George returned to the farm and Winnie. He passed away in Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital in Melbourne in July 1965 aged 74.
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