Campbell, George Gordon

Captain George Gordon Campbell - 11th Battalion AIF

George Gordon Campbell was born in Camberwell Victoria on the 2nd December 1886 to Robert and Isabella Campbell. He was one of nine siblings, with, Nellie 1884, Robert 1885, Jessie 1889, Joseph 1892, Richard 1894, Colin 1895, Arthur 1897 and Beatrice 1899.

The family moved to Western Australia in 1891 and took up residence in Fremantle. Robert (snr) was the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the WA Government Railways.

George was educated at Fremantle Boys School and went through their cadet scheme and was then sent to Scotch College Claremont. While at Scotch he took a leadership position with the 87B Cadets, serving as a Lieutenant. George was dux of Scotch College in 1905.

He was also a gifted sportsman, being a member of the Fremantle Rowing Club and also participating in lacrosse.

After leaving Scotch, George took up Melbourne university courses graduating with an arts degree and also began studying to become a teacher. He taught at Perth Modern School prior to enlisting.

He was still living with his family at 122 Victoria Road Fremantle during this time (later renumbered to 81 Queen Victoria Street).

George enlisted for the Australian Imperial Force on the 4th June 1915. He had applied for a commission and had been accepted. He was posted as a Second Lieutenant to the 8th Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion AIF.

He trained with this group in WA for the next few months. On the 2nd September 1915 George led his reinforcement group to Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Anchises. The ship then set sail for Egypt.

After arriving in Egypt, George would not spend long there as he arrived at Gallipoli in November 1915. As the 11th Battalion were currently on Lemnos Island, George was instead detached for duty with the 2nd Light Horse Brigade. In December 1915 he went to Lemnos Island and was taken on strength of the 11th battalion, being taken on strength of "D" Company.

With Gallipoli being evacuated in December 1915, the 11th battalion were returned to Egypt. George began training with his unit and was soon promoted to Lieutenant.

On the 29th March 1916 the 11th Battalion departed Egypt for France, arriving at Marseilles on the 5th April 1916. After being disembarked the men were entrained north to the Armentieres sector.

They would spend April 1916 to June 1916 in this sector gaining experience of the Western Front. On the 1st July 1916 George was promoted to Captain.

On the 23rd July 1916 he led his "C" Company into the Pozieres action but was wounded when shrapnel struck him in the ankle, leg and back. He was evacuated to the 1st Australian Field Ambulance where his wounds were initially treated and was then transferred to the 44th Casualty Clearing Station. He then had a few days in hospital in Etaples and was then transferred to England for further medical treatment.

George recovered from his wounds quite well and by the 29th September 1916 he was back serving with the 11th Battalion. The unit was then in Belgium but a few weeks later returned to the Somme battlefield. In November 1916 Captain George Campbell was detached for duty to act as an instructor at the 1st Australian Division's Tirancourt School of Instruction.

This detachment lasted until February 1918 when George was transferred to England where he was put in charge of No.6 Officer Cadets school at Oxford. It appears that George's training as a School Master was being fully utilised by the Army.

George rejoined the 11th battalion for a short period on the 24th June 1918 to the 1st July 1918 for the purpose of acquainting himself with the new forms of warfare, but then returned to the Officer Cadet Battalion at Oxford.

George remained with the Officer Cadet Battalion through the rest of the war. In January 1919 he returned to France and was with the 11th Battalion for the next few months.

In April 1919 George returned to England and would now wait to be assigned a berth on a troopship home. On the 1st June 1919 he boarded the transport ship Somali and set sail for home, arriving at Fremantle on the 8th July 1919.

He was discharged from the AIF on the 6th September 1919.

George lived for a time back at the family home in Fremantle but after his return home in 1919 he married Jane Rimmer Meadley. They had a son called Anthony born in 1920 and a daughter Constance in 1922. The family were then living in Shenton Road Swanbourne. This was very near George's place of work.

George had joined Scotch College after his return from the war and remained with them for the rest of his career, going from teacher to acting headmaster. The West Australian newspaper 28th December 1945 edition has an article on George's promotion to headmaster;

SCOTCH COLLEGE. ACTING HEADMASTER
Mr G. G. Campbell Appointed.
The council of Scotch College, Swanbourne, has appointed Mr. G. G.
Campbell, previously first assistant headmaster, following the retirement of Mr. P. C. Anderson, MLA., from the headmastership. Mr. Campbell was educated at the Fremantle Grammar School under the late Sir Henry Briggs from 1895 to 1898 and at Scotch College from the latter year to 1905. He was dux of the college in 1905, won a Government University exhibition of £450 and proceeded to Ormond College, Melbourne University in 1906. He graduated in 1909 and became a junior master at Scotch College. In 1913 he was appointed a senior assistant master at Perth Modern School. On returning from service abroad with the A.I.F. he rejoined the college staff, was appointed first assistant master in 1925 and served in that capacity up to the present. At sport Mr. Campbell represented the college in athletics, cricket and football. He was awarded a full "blue" for lacrosse at Melbourne University, and represented Western Australia and Victoria in interstate lacrosse matches. He rowed at Melbourne University, with the Fremantle Rowing Club and at Magdalen College, Oxford.
 

He served as an officer with the 11th Battalion of the First Australian Division on Gallipoli and in France and was Adjutant of the battalion in 1917. He was wounded at Pozieres when in command of a company. He was appointed to command the officer cadet training school of the First Australian Division in 1917, and was seconded to the British Army as instructor in January, 1918. He was appointed to command "C" Company of the Sixth Officer Cadet Battalion at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he resided until January 1919.

George died on the 13th May 1952 aged 65. He was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery.

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