Compton, Cecil George
No.1921 – Private Cecil George Compton – 4th Pioneer Battalion AIF
Cecil George Compton was born in Fremantle WA in 1896 to Cecil and Amy Compton. His father was a Warder at Fremantle Prison, with the family living in Henderson Street, though the family soon moved to Geraldton where Cecil was educated.
Cecil became a plumbers apprentice after leaving school and also served in the 88th Infantry Militia for over a year. On the 28th January 1915 in Geraldton, Cecil offered his services to the AIF. As he was under 21 years of age he needed his parents’ consent to enlist and this was duly given. Cecil was accepted as fit with the medical officer finding him to be 5 fee 7 ½ inches in height; weight of 138 lbs; chest measurement of 35-37 inches; fair complexion; grey eyes and brown hair. His religious denomination was Church of England.
Cecil was allotted to the 5th Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion AIF. This group trained in WA until the 26th April 1915 when they boarded the transport ship H.M.A.T. “Hororata” in Fremantle Harbour. They travelled to Egypt though they did not spend much time here as they were immediately sent on to the Gallipoli peninsula.
On the 16th June, Cecil joined the Battalion on Gallipoli and took part in subsequent actions by the 11th through July. On the 1st August the 11th Battalion launched an assault on the Turkish position opposite and captured it. This post was later to be known as Leane’s Trench and much fighting took place, firstly to capture and then to hold it as the Turks launched fierce attacks on the position to retake it. Cecil was hit with bullets to the abdomen, chest and right arm and was evacuated back to Hospital in Alexandria Egypt.
In Egypt his wound was deemed serious enough for evacuation to England and on the 22nd August 1915 was admitted to King George Hospital at Stanford. Cecil would spend the next few months in England recuperating from his wounds. A further stay in hospital eventuated in December 1915 when Cecil was diagnosed with VD. After being passed as fit, on the 30th December 1915 he was sent to the Anzac Depot at Weymouth. Cecil was at this base depot for the next few months and did not leave until the 25th March 1916 when he was allotted to the 27th Draft to rejoin the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in Egypt.
After arriving at Alexandria, on the 16th April Cecil was marched into the 3rd Training Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir. As the 11th Battalion had already reached France, Cecil was allotted to the 47th Battalion AIF. His stay with the 47th was short, and four days later he joined the 48th Battalion AIF. He trained with the 48th Battalion in Egypt until the end of May and on the 2nd June embarked at Alexandria with the 48th Battalion, bound for France. The 48th Battalion as part of the 4th Division were sent north to the region of Armentieres.
It was here that Cecil was transferred to the 4th Pioneer Battalion. He subsequently served with this unit through the actions at Pozieres and Mouquet Farm in 1916 and the Somme winter actions of 1916/17, Bullecourt in April 1917 and Messines in June 1917.
On the 25th June 1917 he was detached for a short time to the 4th Brigade HQ as a Lewis Gunner but had rejoined the 4th Pioneer Battalion by 14th July 1917. On the 31st August he went on a period of leave to England though had returned by the 15th September 1917. Cecil served through the actions of the Third Battle of Ypres and the subsequent winter in Belgium of 1917/18.
In March 1918 when the Germans broke through the Third & Fifth British Armies, the 4th Division were sent south to the Somme to repel the Germans. The German advance was stopped, with the 4th Pioneers seeing action at Dernancourt and Villers-Bretonneux.
On July 4th 1918 the Pioneers were involved in assisting the capture of the village of Hamel and subsequent days were spent in improving the defences of the newly captured area. On the 8th July 1918 Cecil Compton was killed in action. He was given a battlefield burial but after the war he was exhumed and reburied in Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery Plot XII.A.10.
His uncle, Clarence Compton died in Palestine with the 5th Light Horse Regiment.



