Fearn, George Albert

1126 Private George Albert Fearn - 11th Battalion AIF

George Albert Fearn was born in Beaconsfield Western Australia in 1892 to William and Sarah Fearn. He was one of three children with William being born in 1891 and Elsie in 1894.

The family lived in Beaconsfield and George was educated locally.

After leaving school George took up work on the Fremantle wharves as a Lumper.

On the 10th September 1914 George enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was accepted as fit for service with the medical examiner recording George's physical attributes as;

Height - 6 feet tall;

Weight - 168lbs;

Chest Measurement - 39-41 inches;

Complexion - Dark;

Eyes - Brown;

Hair - Black.

Upon his successful enlistment George was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to the 1st Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion AIF. The 1st Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion went to Victoria to complete their training and they embarked for Egypt from Port Melbourne on the transport ship Themistocles on the 22nd December 1914.

After arriving in Egypt, George was taken on strength of the 11th Battalion and he was with them when they landed at Anzac Cove on the 25th April 1915. He appears to have been wounded at the landing and was evacuated to hospital in Lemnos Island and then Egypt. George returned to Gallipoli on the 22nd June 1915. George wrote home and the letter was published in the Sunday Times.

Sunday Times 15th August 1915

You must excuse writing, as I am In the firing' line. We 'are in more danger outside than in the trenches, because there is shrapnel flying around all day. Apart from that, things are very quiet just now, since the Turks made their big attack, which I suppose you have heard all about. They say the Australian rifle fire is the worst they have ever faced.

'Jacko,' ' that is the Turks' gun that fires the shrapnel over here, is going
hard at present. I have to keep on ducking my head every couple of minutes. They waste a terrible lot of ammunition, and are blazing at us in the trenches, but we are not fools enough to put our heads over too far.
We are getting fed very well under the circumstances. We get a llb. tin
of bully beef, 4oz. of bacon, 4oz. of cheese, 4oz. of jam, and llb. of biscuits a day; llb. of bread twice a week, and IIb. of onions and IIb. of
potatoes a day. I can live all right on that, and, besides, we get tea and
sugar. We are all becoming too fat."
 
 
Not long after writing this letter George was wounded for the second time on the 29th June 1915. He also had a bruised knee but and remained in hospital. It is unclear if he returned to Gallipoli as in November 1915 George was in hospital in Egypt suffering from influenza.
George rejoined the 11th Battalion on the 7th January 1916 after they had returned from Gallipoli. George would soon return to hospital as he was having cartilage issues with his knee. It appears medical authorities thought his knee would not improve as George was returned home to WA in April 1916.
 
George was discharged from the AIF in November 1916.

After his return from the war George married Winifred Leake. They had a son called William born in 1917 and a daughter Margaret in 1920.

George appears to have been working on the wharves after returning home but later as a Commercial Traveller and it appears they moved to NSW at some point in the 1930's.

In World War Two, George enlisted again and was accepted for Home service. He served in the 8th Garrison Battalion (N393620). He served between 1940 to 1945

In 1967 George wrote to the defense authorities to claim his Anzac Medallion. At this time George was living at Charlestown NSW.

George Fearn died in Newcastle NSW in 1971.

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