McCreery, George

No.2296 – Private George McCreery – 4^th Pioneer Battalion AIF

George McCreery was born in Fremantle WA in 1892 to Joseph and Janet McCreery. He was one of several children, with Isabella born 1884, Catherine born 1886, William in 1889, Wilfred 1895 and John in 1897. The family lived in Hubble Street East Fremantle and George was educated at East Fremantle Primary School. After leaving school George took up the trade of a tinsmith and was working as such when he enlisted into the AIF at the Francis Street Drill Hall in Perth on the 30^th April 1915.

Upon enlistment the medical officer found George to be 5 feet 6 ¼ inches tall, weight of 132 lbs; chest measurement of 33-35 inches; fair complexion; grey eyes and light brown hair. His religious denomination was Church of England. A stipulation upon enlisting was that George had to have his teeth attended to by a Dentist. This appears to have taken place and George was assigned to the 8^th Reinforcements to the 11^th Battalion AIF. However on the 15^th June 1915 he was transferred to the 6^th Reinforcements to the 16^th Battalion.

His time with this reinforcement group in WA was short as on the 25^th June George went with them as they boarded the HMAT Wandilla in Fremantle Harbour. Just over three weeks later George arrived in Egypt but he would only remain here a few days as they were immediately sent onto the Dardanelles. George was taken on strength of the 16^th Battalion at Gallipoli on the 2^nd August 1915. Five days after arriving George was involved in the 16^th Battalion advance towards Hill 971. The attack failed with the assaulting units having sustained large casualties. However George came through unscathed.

On the 25^th August 1915 George was sent to the 4^th Field Ambulance with teeth problems but returned to the unit 5 days later after a doctor had seen to the problem. George served at Anzac for the next five weeks but on the 12^th September he was evacuated to the 25^th Casualty Clearing Station on Imbros suffering from Influenza. Four days later he was transferred to No.1 Australian Stationary Hospital on Lemnos Island. George remained in hospital on Lemnos until the 6^th October and then rejoined the 16^th Battalion who were then having a rest on Lemnos Island.

George returned to Gallipoli with the 16^th Battalion on the 31^st October 1915. Conditions were now colder though no real offensive action took place during the next month and a half. News soon came through that the peninsula was to be evacuated and son gradually the men were being sent away. The 16^th Battalion remained up till the last days while they slowly reduced their numbers. George, who was part of “C” Company, was part of the ‘Second Day B Elechon’ which left a deserted Anzac Cove on 9.15pm on the 19^th December 1915. The last men withdrew in the early hours of December 20^th.

The various parties of the 16^th Battalion had left Gallipoli separately but they all eventually rejoined on Lemnos Island after the evacuation had been completed. They returned to Alexandria in Egypt on the 30^th December 1915. For George, the next two months were taken up with training with the 16^th Battalion in the Egyptian desert. In late February news came through about the expansion of the AIF with the result that the first four Brigades would be split in half to provide the new units with an experienced core. So on the 3^rd March 1916 George was among the group of 16^th Battalion veterans transferred to the new 48^th Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir Camp.

George only remained with the 48^th Battalion until the 16^th March as he transferred to the newly forming 4^th Pioneer Battalion. He trained with them for the rest of his time in Egypt and on the 4^th June 1916 left Alexandria bound for France on the transport ship Scotian. Arriving at Marseilles on the 11^th June, the men were disembarked and sent north to Armentieres, where they had their first taste of the Western Front at Fleurbaix.

However they only remained here for a few weeks and in mid July 1916 were transferred to the Somme front. In late July 1916 they relived the 2^nd Pioneer Battalion and conducted much hard toil as they attempted to keep the communication trenches clear during the devastating German bombardments. Casualties for the Pioneers were high as the Germans targeted their fire on the approach routes to Pozieres On the 4^th August George was severely wounded by shrapnel hitting him through the back and arm. He was evacuated to the 4^th Field Ambulance where his wound was treated but it proved a mortal wound and George died the same day.

George McCreery was buried at Warloy-Baillon Communal Cemetery Extension by the Reverend J.L. Copse of the 14^th Battalion AIF. George lies in plot VII.E.14.

His brother Joseph served in the 48^th Battalion during the war and returned home in 1919.