Edmunds, George William
3458 Private George William Edmunds - 16th Battalion AIF
George William Edmunds was born in Brighton England in 1894 to George and Fanny Edmunds. The family moved to Western Australia in the 1900's and took up residence in North Fremantle. George completed his education in North Fremantle and after leaving school he took up employment as a labourer.
The family lived in Swan Street North Fremantle
On the 29th July 1915 George enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was found to be fit for enlistment with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 11 & 1/2 inches tall;
Weight - 148lbs;
Chest Measurement - 36-38 inches;
Complexion - Fair;
Eyes - Blue;
Hair - Brown.
After his successful enlistment George was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.21 Depot Company. He had the next several weeks being taken through the basics of infantry training and then on the 27th September 1915 was assigned to the 11th reinforcements to the 16th Battalion.
He trained with this group in WA for the next few weeks but their embarkation orders then came through and on the 1st November 1915 the men entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Benalla and set sail for Egypt.
They arrived in Egypt towards the end of November 1915 and were sent into camp into the reinforcement camp near Cairo. The men would have been expecting to be sent on to Gallipoli, but with plans underway to evacuated that battlefield, George and his group were retained in the reinforcement camp.
George would only join the 16th Battalion in Egypt on the 7th March 1916. He trained with them in Egypt until the end of May 1916. They were then shipped to France and after arriving at Marseilles, were disembarked and entrained north.
George and the 16th battalion arrived in the Armentieres region and they would have a few weeks in this sector where they gained their first experience of the Western Front.
In mid July 1916 they were then sent to the Somme Battlefield. The 1st and 2nd Australian Divisions had been in action at Pozieres and the 16th battalion, as part of the 4th Australian Division came into the line in early August 1916, they were to advance the line towards Mouquet Farm.
On the 11th August 1916 George was slightly wounded but after treatment at the Field Ambulance, returned to the 16th battalion four days later. George then also served in the 30th August 1916 action at Mouquet farm, when the 16th battalion temporarily captured the German positions but then had to withdraw due to having unsupported flanks.
After this action, George and his unit were sent to Belgium where they remained for around six weeks. They then returned to the Somme battlefield in November 1916.
On the 1st December 1916 when the 16th Battalion were going up to the line near Flers George was wounded by shrapnel in the scalp. After receiving hospital treatment in France, George was shipped to England on the 11th December 1916 and was admitted to 2nd Birmingham War Hospital.
George would spent the next month in hospital but was then released and sent to Parkhouse Camp. George was found to be not yet fit enough to return to France so he was detached for duty while in England to the Australian Army Medical Corps.
George remained working for the AAMC through to May 1917. On the 23rd May 1917 he got into trouble for going absent without leave for a day and as a punishment was sent to the provost barracks and put on guard duty.
However on the 21st June 1917 George returned to France and was taken back on strength of the 16th Battalion. George joined the unit at Messines and they would be here until August 1917.
Unfortunately George's records are missing some pages but it appears that he continued to serve with the 16th Battalion during the Third Battle of Ypres between September to November 1917, seeing action at Polygon Wood, Broodseinde Ridge and Passchendaele.
In December 1917 the 16th Battalion were moved to Peronne but then returned to Belgium in January 1918 and remained there till March 1918.
When the Germans broke through the British front lines further south on the 21st March 1918, the Australian divisions were sent from Belgium to the Somme to help stop the German advance.
The 16th Battalion were sent to Hebuterne and with the assistance of New Zealand and British troops, they stopped the Germans in that area and then began to go on the offensive, conducting raids and forays to put the Germans on the back foot.
After a few weeks at Hebuterne the 16th Battalion was sent to the Villers-Bretonneux sector. On July 4th 1918, the 16th Battalion took part in the successful capture of Hamel, George being in the thick of the action.
Thankfully George survived the successful Hamel action, and the subsequent advance from the Villers Bretonneux front on the 8th August 1918. The 16th battalion were in action from August 8th until September 18th 1918 and fought in several successful actions.
On September 18th George was wounded when shrapnel hit him in the right arm. He was treated at the Field Ambulance and then sent to hospital on the French coast. He only had a few days in hospital in France as on the 23rd September 1918 George was shipped to England.
On arrival in England he was sent to Cheltenham War Hospital. He would be in hospital for a few weeks and the medical authorities decided that he should be returned to Australia. George was sent to No.2 Command Depot Camp at Weymouth while he waited for a transport ship home. He was still here when the Armistice was announced on the 11th November 1918.
On the 9th December 1918 George boarded the transport ship Argyllshire and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle on the 19th January 1919.
George was discharge from the AIF on the 16th March 1919.
After he returned home he found that his parents were now living at Mason Street North Fremantle.
George remained living and working in Fremantle and he was married in Fremantle in 1928 to Ruby May Isabella Pressley. They would initially live at 31 Attfield street Fremantle (later renumbered 33 Attfield)
The family then moved to East Fremantle, taking up residence at Clayton Street. They lived here through to the 1950's
George Edmunds died on the 19th December 1957 aged 61. He was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery and his ashes placed in the family grave.