Brown, George Charles

3282 Sergeant George Charles Brown - 11th Battalion AIF

George Charles Brown was born in Fremantle on 1892 to William and Charlotte Brown. He had four siblings, with Frederick (1890), James (1894), Elizabeth (1896) and Charles (1899).

The family lived at 36 Price Street South Fremantle (later renumbered 8 Price) and George and his siblings were educated locally. After leaving school George took up a Tailoring apprenticeship with a Mr. Cannon in Fremantle. This apprenticeship was of five years duration, after which George continued to work as a fully qualified tailor.

On the 26th July 1915 George enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was accepted as fit for service with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 5 & 1/4 inches tall;

Weight - 114lbs;

Chest Measurement - 33-35 inches;

Complexion - Fair;

Eyes - Blue;

Hair - Brown.

Upon his successful enlistment George was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.20 Training Depot. He had several weeks of basic infantry training there and was then assigned to the 11th Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion on the 27th September 1915.

George spent the next month training with this group in WA and on the 2nd November 1915 entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Ulysses. This ship then set sail for Egypt, arriving there just over three weeks later.

George was sent into the reinforcement camp in Egypt and did not join the 11th Battalion until March 1916. He was assigned to "B" Company of the 11th Battalion and after a few weeks of training with them, the Battalion departed for France.

After arriving at Marseilles on the 5th April 1916, the men were then entrained north to the Armentieres region. They would have their first experience of the Western Front in this sector and wound spend the next few months here.

In July 1916 the 11th Battalion were now on the Somme battlefield and took part in the capture of Pozieres Village and subsequent operations against Mouquet Fram in August 1916. George came through these engagements unscathed.

From November 1916 to February 1917, the 11th Battalion were on the Somme battlefield near Flers and Delville Wood, undergoing the coldest French winter in decades. George was sent to hospital with bronchitis and laryngitis though after a few weeks he rejoined his Battalion on the 20th December 1916.

George served through the next few years in all of the 11th Battalion engagements without being wounded; Lagnicourt, Bullecourt and the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917 and Meteren, Merris and the Battle of Amiens, Lihons and Jeancourt through 1918.

During this time he had risen in rank from Lance Corporal, Corporal and then Sergeant.

George was still with the 11th Battalion when the Armistice was announced in November 1918. He stayed in France for two more months, returning to England in January 1919.

On the 19th April 1919 George boarded the transport ship Marathon and set sail for home, disembarking in Fremantle on the 31st May 1919.

He was discharged from the AIF on the 10th August 1919.

When he returned home George resumed his tailoring career and took up residence at Murray Road Bicton.

George Charles Brown died in Fremantle on the 25th January 1931 aged 38. He was buried in Fremantle Cemetery plot Anglican MON A3 0874.

He had been staying at the Buffalo Club in High Street Fremantle and was later found dead in his room with a fractured skull, his death reportedly caused by falling down some stairs and then when taken to his room was later found dead.