Pratt, George Charles
3106 Private George Charles Pratt - 11th Battalion AIF
George Charles Pratt was born in Boulder WA on the 23rd January 1897 to Thomas and Edith Pratt. He had an elder brother Frederick and younger brother Ernest born in 1900. While the children were still young the marriage of the parents split up and Edith moved with her two sons to Fremantle where they took up residence in 186 Attfield Street (later renumbered 108 Attfield). Edith would remarry in 1916 to John Pendleton.
George Pratt completed his schooling in WA and during that time also served in the Naval Cadets. After leaving school he took up employment as a tinsmith.
On the 21st June 1915, the 18 year old George enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was passed as fit for service, with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 5 inches tall;
Weight - 142lbs;
Chest Measurement - 35-37 inches;
Complexion - Medium;
Eyes - Brown;
Hair - Brown.
Upon his successful enlistment George was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp and was assigned to the 9th Reinforcements to the 16th Battalion. He spent three months training with this group but was then transferred to the 10th Reinforcements to the 11th battalion.
On the 13th October 1915 George and his reinforcement group entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Themistocles. The ship then set sail for Egypt reaching there in early November 1915.
George and his group were then sent into the reinforcement camp in Egypt. After the evacuation of Gallipoli, the 11th Battalion returned to Egypt in January 1916 and George was taken on strength.
He trained with the Battalion in Egypt for the next three months and then the Battalion departed for France, arriving at Marseilles on the 5th April 1916. The men were then entrained north where they arrived in the Armentieres region. They would have their first experience of the Western Front in this sector.
For the next few months the 11th Battalion held parts of the front line near Bois Greiner and Fleurbaix. On the 30th May 1916 the Germans launched a large trench raid on the trench held by the 11th battalion. The artillery barrage killed and wounded many of the men holding the front line trench and the Germans trench raid was quite successful as they also managed to take some men as prisoners.
George suffered a bomb wound to the left arm and was taken back to the 3rd Field Ambulance to have his wounds dressed. He was then transferred to the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station. He was then put on an ambulance train to the French town of Camiers where he was admitted to the 11th General Hospital.
George had a few days in hospital in Camiers but on the 6th June 1916 was transferred by hospital ship to England. He was then admitted to the 2nd Southern General Hospital in Birmingham. He remained in this hospital for the next few months.
After recovering George was sent to No.1 Command Depot Camp at Perham Downs. He spent the next several months in the training camps in England while he regained full fitness.
It wasn't until the 25th April 1917 that George went back to France. After a few days at the 1st Australian Division Base Depot, George was taken back on strength of the 11th Battalion on the 1st May 1917.
Four days after re-joining the 11th Battalion, George was involved in the Second Battle of Bullecourt. On May 3rd 1917 the Second Australian Division had gained a hold in the German trenches at Bullecourt and after a few more days of fighting they were relieved by the 1st Australian Division. George and the 11th Battalion then went into the line. George wrote of what happened next;
About 2.a.m. on 6.5.1917, I was buried by an enemy high explosive shell and was at the same time wounded in the head and sustained a sprained back. My platoon Sergeant (Veitch) ordered me to go back to the dressing station at Noreuil. I started out, accompanied by a C Company comrade. On the way back we picked up a 1st Bn man and another from the 2nd Battalion. We lost our way and eventually wandered into the German lines where we became prisoners. I was wounded and so was my C Company comrade. We two wounded men were taken to Marchette where I was in hospital for a week. We eventually reached Lille via Douai and at Lille we were at Fort Macdonald for somewhere about 17 days. There would be about 150 Australians there. I was then sent to the prison camp at Dulmen and from there on to Commando 440 (attached to Munster 3) doing labouring work in a machine factory. I was there when the Armistice was signed. We were all assembled at Munster 3. About 650 British prisoners entered Holland of whom about 40 would be Australians. I reached Hull from Rotterdam on the 4.12.1918 by the SS. "Prince George" and was sent straight on to the South Camp Ripon.
On arrival back in England George was given a months furlough, after which he reported in to No.2 Command Depot Camp at Weymouth where he would wait to be assigned a ship home. While waiting at Weymouth George took a few instances of unofficial leave, being declared AWOL on a few occasions.
Thankfully however he was soon assigned a berth on a transport ship. On the 5th March 1919 George boarded the transport ship Nevassa and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle on the 13th April 1919.
After being disembarked George was sent to No.8 Australian General Hospital in South Terrace Fremantle for a medical examination. He was then discharged from the AIF on the 13th June 1919.
After being discharged George returned home and in 1920 in Beaconsfield he married his sweetheart, Louisa May Jerrim. A son George was born in 1920 and Clarence in 1925.
They set up residence at 90 Lilly Street South Fremantle (later renumbered 44 Lilly). During this time George was working as a labourer.
The family then moved to 112 South Street and then to 12 Curedale Street in Beaconsfield. By 1937 they had moved again to 8 Martha Street. They lived in Martha Street for the next twenty years.
George Charles Pratt died on the 14th June 1976 aged 79. He was buried at Fremantle Cemetery plot Anglican Lawn B 0057.