Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

The transcription of the Family name on the Embarkation Roll is incorrect. The Family name was corrected to accord to with the details within the Service Record - ALLISS. The correction was undertaken by the RSL Virtual War Memorial Chief Moderator, January 2017.

George Sharpe ALLISS was born in Morwell, Victoria in 1877

His parents were John ALLISS and Marion Matilda SHARPE

He enlisted in Melbourne on 12th November, 1915 with the 23rd Infantry Battalion at Royal Park from 12.11.15 to 2.12.15 & also served with the 16th Depot Battalion in Bendigo from 2.12.15 to 6.1.16

He transferred to the 7th Infantry Battalion, 15th reinforcements on 6.1.16 and embarked from Melbourne on the HMAT Wiltshire on 7.3.16

George was wounded in action on 19th July, 1916 with gun shot wounds to his chest & thigh and was moved to the 8th Casualty Clearing Station in France where he died from his wounds on 23rd July, 1916 - he is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension

His name is memorialised on the Australian War Memorial and he was awarded the British War Medal & the Victory Medal.

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Morwell Advertiser, 11th August, 1916 page 2

SOLDIERS DEATH

PRIVATE GEORGE ALLISS DIES FROM WOUNDS

It is with deep regreat that we learn of the death of Private George Alliss, formerly of Morwell, who died on the 23rd July from wounds received whilst fighting against the enemy in France

The deceased soldier, who was a brother of Mrs. Jos. Kaye of Morwell Bridge, was well known and most highly respected throughout the district, and deep sympathy is expressed for bereaved relatives.

A few years ago deceased sold his property here and settled in Western Australia for a time, but some months ago he returned to Morwell and shortly after enlisted

Details regarding his death are not yet to hand, a message simply being received that he had died from wounds.

From Graeme Savige, great great nephew
 
Pte 4727 George Sharp Alliss,
59th Infantry Battalion,
took the oath of allegiance on 12 Nov 1915 and joined the Australian Expeditionary Force.

The 39 year old Labourer was born near Morwell and was the older brother to Mrs F Savige, my Great Grandmother.

After a medical clearance the attestation was approved by the CO with him being was allocated to 7 Bn/15th reinforcement.

On a reinforcement troop transport to Egypt and then onto France. George was transferred to the 15th Brigade/59 Bn.

The Brigade was Initially deployed to a “Nursery Sector”, on the Western Front, near Armentières to gain experience and participate in trench raids in the area.

Within weeks they were thrown into battle, known as the battle of Fromelles. The aim of this action was to halt the German Army from re-enforcing defensive positions as part of the allied offensive along the Somme.

On the 19 July, 1916, along the four-kilometre front of their attack the Australians had to cross between 80 and 400 metres of open ground in broad daylight and under direct observation from the German lines. The German defences included concrete blockhouses and a strong redoubt, known as the Sugarloaf, overlooking most of the allied line of advance.

After a seven-hour bombardment, the Australians attacked at 6 pm; there were still two-and-a-half hours of summer daylight left. Soldiers went over the top, heavily laden with scaling ladders, picks, shovels and bags of grenades. Almost immediately they came under heavy machine-gun fire. Sergeant “Jimmy” Downing of the 57th Battalion recalled: “Hundreds were mown down in the flicker of an eyelid, like great rows of teeth knocked from a comb … men were cut in two by streams of bullets … It was all over in five minutes.”

The 15th (Victorian) Brigade was destroyed within 15 minutes, entire companies of infantry being virtually annihilated. Their commander, Brigadier General Harold “Pompey” Elliott, who had earlier expressed misgivings about the attack, was speechless with grief the following day, “the tears streaming down his face, as he shook hands with the returning survivors”.

Official war correspondent Charles Bean recorded after meeting Elliott, “I felt almost as if I were in the presence of a man who had just lost his wife.” One of Elliott’s battalions, the 60th, had gone into the attack with 887 officers and men. When the survivors gathered at brigade headquarters the following afternoon, only one officer and 106 men answered the roll call.

Pte George Alliss received a serious wound on this day, reported as “Gunshot Wound Chest”. He was evacuated to the 8th Casualty Clearing Station, Bailluel on 20th Jul 1916. Casualty clearing stations perform initial triage and would arrange for wounded to be evacuated to hospitals in France or England. It’s likely that George’s wounds were serious with little chance of survival. He died of wounds on the 23 Jul 1916.

Later that day George was buried with Rev A F Fenn officiating (attached to 8th casualty clearing station).
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Notices
The Morwell Advertiser
August 1916
Soldier’s death. Private Geo. Alliss Dies From Wounds
It is with deep regret that we learn of the death of Private George Alliss, formerly of Morwell, who died on the 24th July from wounds received whilst fighting against the enemy in France.

The deceased soldier, who was a brother of Mrs Jos. Kaye, of Morwell Bridge, was well known and most highly respected throughout the district, and deep sympathy is expressed for bereaved relatives.

A few years ago the deceased sold his property here and settled in Western Australia for a time, but some months ago he returned to Morwell and shortly after enlisted. Details regarding his death are not yet to hand, a message simply being received that he had died from wounds.
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August 25th. 1916
Killed in Action
Died of wounds received in France, on the 23rd July. Private George S. Alliss. Aged 39 years. Beloved brother of J. Alliss (Norseman, W. A.), Mrs T. Wolfenden (Traralgon), Mrs W. R. and Mrs F. Savige (Moe), and Mrs J. P. Kaye (Morwell Bridge).

O what a moral lesson our gallant hero taught.
He knew the danger in his path,
enlisted and he fought.
In a foreign land he's sleeping.
One of the dearest and best.
In our hearts we will miss him forever.
Though we know he is only at rest.

ALLISS – A tribute of friendship to the memory of Private George Alliss, who died of wounds, received in France on July 23rd.

Midst the clash of fierce battle
And the roar of shot and shell,
George, while fighting for his country,
Like a gallant hero fell.

One of the best, a loving friend,
A man both kind and true,
So deeply mourned, so sadly missed,
By everyone he knew.

(inserted by his sincere friends, Mr and Mrs M. Fleming and family and Mrs Noy snr.)

Thanks
The Relatives of the late Private George S. Alliss sincerely thank their many friends for kind expressions of sympathy and letters of condolence received during recent sad bereavement.
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Friday September 22nd. 1916
“Concerning the death of Private George Alliss, formerly of Morwell, who was recently killed in action in France, news has come to hand that he died from a bullet wound received in chest. He was taken to hospital, but gradually sank and passed away a few hours after admission. His remains were interred in the Bailleul Communal Cemetery.”
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