George Edward Binns

Personal Information
Date of Birth	Not known
Place of Birth	Southowram, Halifax, Yorkshire, England
Death	June 1971
Place of Death	Calder, Yorkshire, West Riding, England
Age at Enlistment	22 Years old
Description	5' 2 ½" (1.59m) tall; weight 139 lbs (63 kg); fresh complexion, brown eyes, fair hair
Occupation	brick maker
Religion	Methodist
Address	Greetland House, Gosnells, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Father Mr Wright Binns (in UK)
Military Information
Reg Number	3488
Date of Enlistment	4 Oct 1915
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	28th Battalion, 8th Reinforcement transferred to 51st Battalion / 13th Brigade, 4th Division
Date of Embarkation	17 Jan 1916 - 9 Feb 1916
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A30 Borda
Date of Return	27 Feb 1919 - 7 Apr 1919
Ship Returned On	SS Balmoral Castle
Fate	Returned to Australia
Monument	Armadale (Beenup panel)
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

War Service

Six weeks after entering Blackboy Hill camp, George was allocated to the 8th reinforcement draft for the 28th Battalion, but in Egypt was transferred to, and trained at Serapeum in the canal zone of Egypt, as a member of the 'new' 51st Battalion. (One of 480 reinforcements who joined with 497 veterans of Gallipoli from the 11th Battalion to form the 51st.)

On May 18th they enter the front line canal defences, and remain there until June 1st when they begin their move to Alexandria to board HMT Ivernia for the journey to Marseilles in southern France.

He reported sick to hospital on 31 Aug 1916 and was sick enough to be evacuated to England aboard HMHS Panama at Le Havre on 7 Sep 1916, before spending four months in the UK (Western General Hospital Cardiff) recovering from trench fever.

George married Ivy Garside, a 24 year old packer at a soap works in Huddersfield, Yorkshire on 7 Dec 1916 while AWOL (4 Dec to 11 Dec) before eventually returning to France aboard SS Princess Henriette, rejoining his unit on 7 Jan 1917.

Hospitalised in France on three other occasions, the first two with Trench Fever, and the third time with a temporal abscess (during May 1917 in France; Sep 1917; and Apr 1918). Total time spent in hospital was 13 weeks, the rest was spent largely in base depots. The third occasion required his evacuation to England, after which he did not appear to rejoin his unit.

Following the Armistice he had to wait for return to Australia until a "family" ship was available. Discharged 5th Military District 23 May 1919

Mentioned in the Feb-Mar 1917 edition of the Drill of the Foot-Hills, but no detail

Post War

The West Australian 24 Mar 1919 reports George as returning with the SS Balmoral Castle, and on the 4th April it reports the ship was due on the 6th but needing to be quarantined for 3 days.

No entry for either George or Ivy in Electoral Records or Post Office Directories. By 1924 neither Repat or Central Army Records have any contact with him, and medals he is entitled to were returned.

It is reasonable to assume that he returned to England. If so his likely death is as shown above. Ivy died aged 83 in March 1976 Halifax, West Yorkshire, England

Notes

Thomas is not listed on the Gosnells RSL Honour Board on on their Honour Roll.