Davidson, George
8811 Private George Leslie Davidson - 5th Field Ambulance
George Leslie Davidson was born in South Melbourne Victoria in 1892 to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Davidson.
The family moved to Western Australia while George was still young and set up residence in Malcolm Street Fremantle.
George was very active in the community, being a member of the East Fremantle Presbyterian church, as well as in sporting circles as a member of the Fremantle Rowing Club.
He also saw pre war service in the 11th Garrison Artillery which was based in Fremantle. After leaving school, George had secured work as a clerk for the local Fremantle Shipping Company McIlwraith McEachearn.
The photo below shows an even at Fremantle Oval for McIlwraith McEachearn. George is thought to be in the back row.
One of George's good friends, Ernie Moorhouse, also worked as a Clerk for McIlwraith McEachearn.
Both tried to enlist early in the war, but while George wasn't able to, Ernie was accepted. In April 1915 just prior to the landing at Gallipoli, Ernie wrote the letter below to George.
Letter of April 9th 1915 by Ernie Moorhouse to his friend George Davidson, written from Heliopolis Egypt.
Dear George,
Just a line to say ‘au revoir’ to you before we leave Egypt and its sands as a dream that is passed. My only hope is that the next sand that we have to face may be those of dear old WA. You can’t tell me that WA is sandy after this place George. It’s the best land in the world absolutely.
I believe that we leave here at 2am in the morning, so if that’s the case we will be on our way to ‘somewhere’ on Sunday next. Wherever we may be I will never be able to forget all you chaps and the girls that we all had great times with. How I should like a good old sing-song now!
George, I tell you straight ‘There are no friends like old friends’. It’s the truest saying I know. May we all be spared to meet again and have many and many another good time together.
I don’t know that I have any news to tell you George as I have sent letters to the lads of the office, and one hence, besides one to Bill and to Harry which I suppose you will see, so I am merely writing this to say ‘ta-ta’. I hope that matters at the church are going along satisfactorily. Please give the members of the board of management my kindest regards and say ‘au revoir’ to them for me. I hope that the organ fund is getting along alright and that sustentation fund is also flourishing.
Wish the members of the church every success during the next year and every prosperity for me.
At the Sunday school next Sunday after you get this, tell the children that in this letter I wished to be remembered to them all and wish them all good luck in the future-for the school I mean. I often think of the church and school and wish I could be back again.
Look George, I tell you between ourselves that this life isn’t all it is pictured. You certainly have good times, but you also have rotten times, and times when you are lonely and feel fit for anything but your duty. And when we get into active service on the field I suppose it will be worse still, but at the same time I am quite as eager as anyone for it. We have a lot of old scores on Germany and Turkey to wipe out haven’t we?
Please give your mother, Mrs Boyd, Leo, Arnold & Jessie, Marie, and everybody else my kindest regards, and say ta-ta to them for me.
Ta-ta (I don’t like saying ‘good-bye’ as it seems to be meant as if I wasn’t going to return) George and take a word of friendliness from me. You are doing your duty just as much by staying with your ma as by coming here. Perhaps when things get worse (if ever they do) and we are all more or less “hors de combat” then more men may be needed, but until then you look after your mother old man.
Be good George and kindest regards to all,
Your sincere and grateful chum,
“Tommy”
Thanks for the two booklets which I have enjoyed reading very much, and also the Presbyterian which I got this week. If I had a few more bob I should have liked to have sent home a few keepsakes to you, but I don’t think we will forget each other without them etc.
Ernie Moorhouse was killed at Gallipoli on the 2nd May 1915.
Photo below of Ernie and George at Fremantle (middle of photo)
George enlisted into the AIF not long after news came through of Ernie's death on Gallipoli.
Instead of going to the infantry, George was assigned to the Australian Army Medical Corps. George was assigned to the 14th Reinforcements to the 4th Filed Ambulance.
While he waited for his embarkation orders George worked in the different training camp hospitals at Blackboy Hill, Belmont and Claremont Camps.
On the 12th February 1916 George left Fremantle aboard the transport ship HMAT Miltiades.
After arriving in Egypt, George was taken on strength of the 3rd Australian General Hospital. He worked here for the next few months but in September 1916 embarked for France.
In February 1917 George was taken on strength of the 5th Field Ambulance. At the time the 5th Field Ambulance had East Fremantle doctor Arthur Gibson as their medical officer.
Not long after arriving there, George wrote that;
During the night Prince Frederick Charles of Germany passed through our dressing station. He was brought down by one of our planes about 100 yards behind our front line 4 miles east of Bapaume. In trying to escape he was shot in the back by one of our men. I was one of the party who unloaded him from the ambulance. He wore an iron cross and spoke good English.
George served through the next several months seeing a lot of action around Bapaume and Bullecourt. In June 1917 the 2nd Division were withdrawn for a rest period of a few months.
However in September 1917 the 5th Field Ambulance went to Belgium to take part in the Third Battle of Ypres. George was wounded early in the action of the Battle of Menin Road when he was evacuating casualties. George wrote;
Thursday 20th September: Shifted to Bellevaarde Ridge 2am, very heavy artillery fire. Waiting there for a guide to Westhoek. No guide available. Our barrage opened at 5.40 am & advance commenced. Our wounded began to come through and our squad was kept busy picking them up. About 7.15 am our squad had picked up a wounded man nearby and started out for Simons Post. After going only about 10 yards, 2 were hit by a HE Shrapnel shell – a coal box – and were both temporarily disabled. I received a pellet in the right leg below the knee. It entered the calf from behind, went through the leg and bulged out alongside the shin bone. My wound was bound up by Bill Spooner – later a Federal Politician – and with the aid of a spade walked down about 3 miles to an Advanced Dressing Station at Ypres…Whilst waiting at Ypres Dressing Station for my wound to be dressed I saw Col. JJ Nicholas, the C/O of the 5th Field Ambulance with 2 other officers standing with him killed by a shell, splinters from which hit others and narrowly missed me.
Due to his wound, George would be spending the next few months in hospital in England. Though he was also able to fit some sightseeing in amongst his hospital stay;
31st December 1917: Went to London again in the morning, had lunch with Frank Barnard. Called again on McIlwraith McEachearn Ltd. Went to Anzac Open Air Pictures in Trafalgar Square in the afternoon and a theatre “Arlette” in the evening
1st January 1918: Met Jack Viner in London in a strange way. Was browsing round London, got into Trafalgar Square & was listening to a Guards band playing & found Jack standing alongside me. We went together to a matinee “Pamella”. I took Jack to Brockley where he met the Glenn family and after tea we caught our respective trains to camp.
It wasn't until March 1918 that George returned to France. The 5th Field Ambulance were by now on the Villers Bretonneux front and would be around Morlancourt and Villers-Bretonneux for the next few months. On the 12th June George was again wounded but remained on duty.
George served out the remainder of the war with the 5th Field Ambulance. On the 8th August 1918 George took part in the opening day of the great advance in front of Villers-Bretonneux.
Stunt commenced at 420am. It was enormous and a great success. An indication of this is that our party slept that night at Warfusee about 8 miles into enemy lines.
George continued to help evacuate casualties up to mid October 1918. The 2nd Division were then given a rest out of the line and were still in reserve when the Armistice was announced.
Went to Amiens on a days leave & whilst there news of the Armistice was broadcast. Tremendous excitement throughout the whole district.
George remained in France till February 1919, then he was given a role as part of the Nursing staff on a transport ship called Commonwealth.
George arrived home in Fremantle in May 1919.
On his discharge from the AIF in 1919 George Davidson resumed work at the shipping Company McIlwraith McEacharn where he would work until his retirement in 1960.
In 1920 he married Alice Viner and they had had three children. George was active in the local community, particularly with the Fremantle Golf Club and Fremantle Rowing Club. In 1925 he was selected in the Kings Cup crew. In 1930 he was a founding member of the Fremantle Legacy branch and continued his association with them for the rest of his life.
George Davidson died in May 1988 aged 96 years.