Dunham, George Ernest
5544 Lance Corporal George Ernest Dunham - 28th Battalion AIF
George Ernest Dunham was born at Strathmerton Victoria in 1885 to William and Emily Dunham. He was one of ten siblings born into the Dunham family.
He moved to Western Australia in the 1900's and was initially living in the Murchison district.
In 1908 in Murchison WA, he married Ada Backcoller. They would have four children, George born in Murchison in 1909, and the following three were born in Fremantle, Ada in 1912, Eric in 1914 and Francis in 1917.
Once they moved to Fremantle the family lived at 159 Hope Street White Gum Valley. He worked locally as a Fitter.
On the 25th February 1916 George enlisted into the AIF at Fremantle. He was accepted as fit for service with the medical examiner recording is physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 7 & 3/4;
Weight - 132lbs;
Chest Measurement - 34-37 inches;
Complexion - Fresh;
Eyes - Brown;
Hair - Dark.
After his successful enlistment, George was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.50 training Depot. He was taken through the basics of infantry training at this training depot.
On the 5th June 1916 he was assigned to the 15th Reinforcements to the 28th Battalion AIF. He trained with this group in WA for the next few months. On the 22nd September 1916 George and his group boarded the transport ship HMAT Surada in Fremantle Harbour and set sail for England, disembarking at Plymouth on the 20th November 1916.
After leaving the ship the men were sent to the 7th Training Battalion on the Salisbury Plains. George was in England for a month, but on the 22nd December 1916 he was in a draft of soldiers that left England bound for France.
On arrival at Etaples he was sent in to the 2nd Australian Division Base Depot. While he was at this camp he came down ill with mumps and after a stay in hospital he only joined the 28th battalion on the 19th February 1917.
He served with the 28th Battalion when they fought at Lagnicourt in March 1917 and in April 1917 was appointed to Lance Corporal. On the 3rd May 1917 at Bullecourt George was wounded by a bullet through the arm and leg. After medical treatment in France, he was sent on to England and was admitted to the 5th General Hospital at Portsmouth.
George recovered quite well and he was in hospital till the 25th June 1917. He was then given two weeks furlough, after which he would report for duty at No.2 Command Depot Camp at Perham Downs.
He was in Camp in England for a few weeks and after a medical assessment was declared fit enough to return to his unit. On the 15th August 1917 he rejoined the 28th Battalion.
George served with the 28th Battalion in the Third Battle of Ypres, seeing action at the Battle of Menin Road on September 20th and Broodseinde Ridge and Zonnebeke on October 4th 1917.
He came through these actions unscathed and from November 1917 to February 1918 helped his unit hold the line in Belgium. On the 26th February 1918 to 15th March 1918 he was granted leave to the UK.
After his return to the Battalion George served the remainder of 1918 with the 28th Battalion, seeing action at Morlancourt, Villers-Bretonneux, Peronne and Montbrehain. Fortunately he came through all these actions without being hurt.
In February 1919 he returned to the UK and on the 1st June 1919 departed on the troopship Somali for the journey back to Western Australia, disembarking on Fremantle on the 8th July 1919.
George was discharged from the AIF on the 15th August 1919.
After his return from the Great War George took up farming at Jitarning which is a small town near Kulin.
He retired to the Rockingham district and died in 1960 aged 70. He was cremated at Fremantle Cemetery.