George Andrew King

George Andrew King

photo courtesy Raymond Morris
Personal Information
Date of Birth	25 Aug 1881
Place of Birth	Bush Landing, Jarrahdale, Western Australia
Death	10:15pm 28 Nov 1917
Place of Death	1st Canadian General Hospital, Étaples, France
Age at Enlistment	34 years old
Description	5ft 7in (1.70 m) tall ; 140lbs 63.503 kg ; Fair complexion ; blue eyes ; light brown hair
Occupation	Swamper
Religion	Church of England
Address	Jarrahdale, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Wife , Mrs Mary Jane Eliza King
Military Information
Reg Number	1950
Date of Enlistment	20 Mar 1916
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	51st Battalion, 3rd Reinforcement / 13th Brigade, 4th Division
Date of Embarkation	18 Jul 1916 ‒ 9 Sep 1916
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A48 Seang Bee
Fate	Wounded in Action 12 Oct 1917 Passchendaele Died of Wounds 10:15pm 28 Nov 1917
Monument	Jarrahdale Honour Roll ANZAC Memorial Park (Byford) Australian War Memorial
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

War Service

Entering Blackboy Hill camp on 20 Mar 1916, George was initially allocated to the 56th Depot Company. On 4 Apr 1916 he was allocated to the 3rd reinforcement draft for the 51st Battalion.

On arrival in England was sent to a Training Battalion on the Salisbury Plain to prepare for France. On 28 Nov 1916 George embarked on SS Princess Henriette in Folkestone for France. Held by the 4th Division's base depot for 10 or so days, on 14 Dec 1916 he and 90 other reinforcements joined the 51st Battalion at Buire where they were training in preparation for a return to the front lines.

By 8 Jan 1917 George was in need of a hospital and was sent by the 36th Casualty Clearing Station (Venereal Disease) then to the 1st Stationary Hospital in Rouen where he was treated for 26 days before returning to the battalion on 12 Mar 1917.

On 12 Oct 1917 George was wounded in the battle for Passchendaele. Injured with a shell wound to his head he was treated by the 3rd Field Ambulance, before passing him to the 10th Casualty Clearing Station, and the 1st Canadian General Hospital in Étaples where he died on 28 Nov 1917.

Joined 51st Battalion on 14 Dec 1916. Red Cross file: . "He was admitted to this hospital suffering from shrapnel wound of the head, which fractured his skull. It was also noted that he had paralysis of the right side of the body, also Aphasia. He developed Meningitis on November 26th and passed peacefully away at 10pm on November 28th.

On November 30th he was buried in the Étaples Military cemetery, Grave No. V, 82." OC No 1 Canadian General Hospital

KING - On November 28, 1917, in the 1st Canadian Hospital, France, Private George Andrew King, late of Jarrahdale, died of wounds received in action on October 3, dearly loved and eldest son of George and the late Eliza King, of Jarrahdale, and loving brother of Mrs. A. Little, William and Horace King, Jarrahdale; Mrs. W. Nettleton, Perth; Mrs.H. Pridmore, Marrinup; Mrs R. Freeman, Fremantle; Private John King, prisoner of war in Germany, and Private Edward King, wounded, aged 35 years.

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  Étaples Cemetery - Commonwealth War Graves Commission
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  Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Etaples is a town about 27 kilometres south of Boulogne. The Military Cemetery is to the north of the town, on the west side of the road to Boulogne. During the First World War, the area around Etaples was the scene of immense concentrations of Commonwealth reinforcement camps and hospitals. It was remote from attack, except from aircraft, and accessible by railway from both the northern or the southern battlefields. In 1917, 100,000 troops were camped among the sand dunes and the hospitals, which included eleven general, one stationary, four Red Cross hospitals and a convalescent depot, could deal with 22,000 wounded or sick

Wife received a pension of 40/- per fortnight from 4 Feb 1918 and his mother 20/- fortnightly from 28 Sep 1917.

Notes

Buried in Étaples Military Cemetery, France (Plot XXX, Row N, Grave No 5A)

External Links

• AIF Project