Bonehill, George William

No.2562 Corporal George William Bonehill  51^st Battalion

George William Bonehill was born in Birmingham Warwickshire England on the 17^th January 1892 to Henry and Mary Ann Bonehill. George was educated at St Clements’s School in Birmingham though after he left school, he took up the trade of Motor Mechanics. In the 1911 census, George is listed as a typewriter salesman and was boarding in Worcestershire.

In 1911 he travelled to Western Australia and set up residence in Fremantle where he continued to work as a Motor Mechanic, though prior to enlisting in the AIF his postal address was via the Burlington Hotel High Street Fremantle.

George enlisted on the 14^th August 1915 and was passed as fit. The medical examiner found George to be 5 feet 6 and ½ inches in height, weight of 129 lbs; chest measurement of 33-36 inches; fresh complexion; blue eyes and dark hair. His religious denomination was Church of England.

George was assigned to the 6^th Reinforcements to the 28^th Battalion with the regimental number 2562. This group embarked at Fremantle on the H.M.A.T. “Ulysses” on the 2^nd November 1915. Upon arrival in Egypt he was admitted to hospital at Heliopolis for a circumcision. He was discharged from hospital on the 31^st December 1915 and assigned to the 7^th Training Battalion. The next three months were to be spent at this training Battalion before George was assigned to the newly forming 51^st Battalion AIF on the 3^rd March 1916.

On the 14^th March he was promoted to Lance Corporal and on the 26^th March to Corporal. The next few months were spent training in Egypt and the 51^st Battalion finally embarked for France on the 5^th June 1916. After arriving in Marseilles, the Battalion was sent up to the north of France and took up trench duty in the vicinity of Armentieres.

In July 1916 the Battalion, as part of the 4^th Division, was sent down to the Somme. They would relieve the 2^nd Division in the line at Pozieres in early August. The 51^st Battalion came into the line and was instructed to make an attack towards Mouquet Farm about the 15^th August. The attack did not succeed and the men were forced to withdraw. Unfortunately during the attack Cpl George Bonehill was hit by a shell and was killed instantly.

His body does not seem to have been recovered and he is one of the many missing from the Somme battle who is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial. His mother would receive a fortnightly pension of 52/3d after his death.