George Weston Firns
From Our Contribution
 Western Mail 24 Dec 1915 page 23 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 2 Feb 1894 |
| Place of Birth | Jarrahdale, Western Australia |
| Death | 25 Nov 1976, aged 82 |
| Place of Death | Mandurah, Western Australia |
| Age at Enlistment | 21 years, 4 months |
| Description |
5'5½" (1.66m) tall ; 139 lbs 63.049 kg ; fair complexion ; grey eyes ; fair hair |
| Occupation | Mill hand |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | Serpentine, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Father , Mr Charles Firns |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 2291 |
| Date of Enlistment | 2 Jun 1915 |
| Rank | Driver |
| Unit/Formation | 16th Battalion, 6th reinforcement transferred to 48th Battalion / 12th Brigade, 4th Division |
| Date of Embarkation | 25 Jun 1915 ‒ 18 Jul 1915 |
| Ship Embarked On | HMAT A62 Wandilla |
| Date of Return | 28 Feb 1919 ‒ 7 Apr 1919 |
| Ship Returned On | HMAT A68 Anchises |
| Fate | Returned to Australia |
| Monument |
Mundijong School Roll of Honour Mundijong Honour Roll Serpentine Roll of Honour ANZAC Memorial Park (Byford) |
| Medals |
1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal |
Pre War
Rockingham School Indexes show George on the 1905 roll for the Serpentine school with other schools listed as Mundijong and Buckingham Siding. The later is very unlikely as it opened in 1911 when George would have been 17.
War Service
Initially allocated to the 8th reinforcement draft for the 11th Battalion, on 15 Jun 1915 George was re-allocated to the 6th reinforcement draft for the 16th Battalion. He joined them on 2 Aug 1915 at Gallipoli.
On 5 Sep 1915 he reported sick to the 4th Field Ambulance and was evacuated from Gallipoli and placed on HMHS Salta for Alexandria. On arrival he was admitted on 9 Sep 1915 to 2nd Australian General Hospital in Heliopolis, before being transferred to Mena House Hospital on 16 Oct 1915 with colitis. Discharged at some point he was again admitted to 2nd Australian General Hospital on 26 Nov 1915, and was discharged to his unit on 24 Dec 1915.
Transferred to the 48th Battalion on 3 Mar 1916 and soon after appointed a Driver. Embarked on the HMT Caledonia on 2 Aug 1916 and disembarked in Marseilles on 9 Aug 1916. In late Sep 1917 George was detached to the 4th Divisional Train as a Driver.
On 10 Nov 1917 George was admitted to the Dover Military hospital while he was on leave in England, with Venereal Disease. On the 15th he was transferred to 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital at Bulford and remained there until discharged on 14 Jan 1918. Readmitted on the 18th, this time he remained in hospital until 16 Feb 1918. Total time with VD for both occasions was 96 days (deemed to be ineffective service and therefore no pay received).
On 9 Apr 1918 George proceeded overseas again from Southampton on the HS Ville de Liege, and on 14 Apr he presented to the 4th Field Ambulance with mumps. They passed him to the 20th Casualty Clearing Station, and on 19 Apr 1918 George was placed on an Ambulance Train and transferred to the 25th Stationary Hospital in Rouen, where he was treated until his release on 7 May 1918. Back with his unit on 19 May 1918, another spell in hospital followed, passing through the hands of the 12th Field Ambulance, and the 41st Stationary Hospital before being placed on an Ambulance Train to Rouen on 16 Oct 1918.
From 11 Oct 1918 until 21 Feb 1919 he received treatment for influenza from the 3rd Stationary Hospital in Rouen and from several Convalescent Depots, before being released to the Australian Infantry Base Depot on 17 Nov 1918. He returned to England on 9 Jan 1919 where he managed a short period in hospital at Codford before returning to Australia where he was discharged by the 5th Military District on 3 Jun 1919.
Post War
In 1921 George married Hilda May Smith. Hilda died on 10 Jul 1988 in Mandurah. Electoral Roll entries - 1925 Group 47, Serpentine, foreman; 1949 - 1954 Ewing street, Welshpool, labourer; 1958 - 1968 Fremantle road, Mandurah
Sons George Weston (jnr) (27 Sep 1921 - 5 Apr 2008), Ronald Douglas (2 Aug 1924 - 1998); Gerald Keith (1926 - 26 Jun 2015); daughters Josephine Mabel Iris May (1927 - 24 Jul 2004?); Dorothy Evelyn ((1928 - 15 Jun 2008).
Notes
George Weston Firns (Snr) served during WW2 in the Citizens Military Forces, 10th garrison Battalion from 22 Nov 1939 until 3 Feb 1944 George Weston (Jnr) served with the 2nd AIF during WW2 with Regimental No. WX16614. His posting at the time of his discharge was the Northern Territory Area Workshop. Ronald Douglas served in he Royal Australian Air Force as a Flight Sergeant from 16 Oct 1942 until 30 Sep 1944. At the time of his discharge he was with the 2nd Air Observers School, Mt Gambier.