Currie, George Francis

265 Lance Corporal George Francis Currie – 11th Battalion AIF

George Francis Currie was born in St Pancreas London England in 1883. He was educated in London and after leaving school George joined the Royal Filed Artillery. He served in the RFA for eight years but he was able to leave the service short of the 12 year period as he had secured employment in Western Australia. George and his wife then arrived in Western Australia and took up residence at 22 Agnes Street Beaconsfield.

On the 9^th September 1914 George went to the Swan Barracks in Perth to enlist in the AIF. He was found to be fit for service with the medical officer recording his physical attributes;

Height:                                     5 feet 11 & ¾ inches;

Weight:                                    168lbs;

Chest Measurement:               38 inches;

Complexion:                            Fair;

Eyes:                                       Grey;

Hair:                                        Brown;

Religious Denomination:         Roman Catholic.

After his successful enlistment George was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was initially assigned to “B” Company of the newly forming 11^th Battalion AIF. However he was sent to the Headquarters section where he was promoted to Lance Corporal and made a Signaller. After a few months training, the 11^th Battalion embarked aboard the H.M.A.T. A11 Ascanius on the 2^nd November 1914. Upon arrival in Egypt the original 8 Companies were halved to a 4 Company system though George remained with the HQ. The 11^th Battalion left Egypt in March 1915 and set sail for Lemnos Island where they embarked on further training. Their Brigade had been chosen to make the initial landing on the Turkish coast.

On the morning of April 25^th 1915 the 11^th Battalion landed on what is known as North Beach and made their way inland. It appears that George remained with the 11^th Battalion through the Gallipoli campaign, being promoted to Corporal on the 11^th July. Unfortunately the records are not clear as to his exact role during the campaign but being in the HQ at Gallipoli still meant they were under regular Turkish fire. During the Gallipoli action, apart from the landing, the 11^th Battalion saw action at Gaba Tepe in the days after the landing, and were in the southern portion of Anzac Cove for most of the campaign. Other major actions were the demonstration against Turkish positions on June 28^th and the Leanes Trench assault on 1^st August, in which the 11^th Battalion successfully captured the Turkish trench system.

While the 11^th Battalion was withdrawn for a rest to Lemnos in November 1915 and di not return to the Dardanelles battlefield, it appears that George was detached from his battalion for duty elsewhere though again his records are of scant detail and don’t go into detail. However as George rejoined the 11^th Battalion on Lemnos Island on the 24^th December 1915 it appears he may have been at Anzac until the evacuation on December 20^th.

George and the 11^th Battalion spent Christmas on Lemnos Island however they soon boarded the ship Empress of Britain and set sail for Egypt, arriving at Alexandria on the 7^th January 1916.

After their arrival back in Egypt the 11^th Battalion resumed training and also took up garrison duty on the Suez Canal defence line. Unfortunately on the 25^th January 1916 George was reduced to the ranks due to drunkenness. It appears there may have been some issues as he was marked for return to Australia as an ‘undesirable’ but nothing in his service record to state why he was labelled as this undisciplined. However on the 19^th March 1916 George boarded the HMT Demontheses and returned to WA. After his return to Fremantle; George was officially discharged from the AIF on the 19^th April 1916.

At the end of the war George was declared as ineligible for his medals but this was soon reversed and he was sent his service medals to the last known address at 22 Agnes Street Beaconsfield, but it appears that George and his wife had now moved to NSW. George Currie died in 1934 in North Sydney.