George Henry Donovan

Submitted by Mt Kembla Minin... on Sun, 03/09/2017 - 12:02

First Name:

George

Middle Name:

Henry

Last Name:

Donovan

Date of Birth:

Monday, February 4, 1895

Mother's Name:

Elizabeth Donovan nee Hetherington

Father's Name:

Dennis Donovan

Date Enlisted:

Sunday, May 30, 1915

Rank at Enlistment:

Private

Rank at Discharge:

Lance Corporal

Unit:

4th Battalion

Company:

Service:

Infantry

Awards:

1914/1915 Star

British War Medal

Victory Medal

Date of Death:

Tuesday, August 30, 1955

Place of Death:

Narrabeen, N.S.W.

Details:

George Donovan (Service No 2360) was born in Gerringong, N.S.W.

At enlistment George was single, 22 years old, & worked as a butcher.

He embarked from Sydney on HMAT A67 Orsova with 4th Battalion, 7th Reinforcement on 14th July 1915.

He arrived in Egypt in August 1915; shortly after George's arrival, on 22nd August, his brother John William Donovan (Service No 505) also of 4th Battalion was killed in action on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

George arrived on Gallipoli on 4th November 1915 and returned to Egypt after the evacuation.

He arrived in France on 30th March 1916 and saw service on the Western Front with 1 Platoon, A Company, 4th Battalion. On 23rd April 1918 George was promoted to Lance Corporal.

On 18th September 1918 George was wounded in action and evacuated to hospital in England for treatment of multiple, severe gun shot wounds to both legs, right arm, right side and head.

George was returned to Australia in April 1919 and discharged medically unfit on 16th May 1919.

In 1926 he married Elizabeth Annie Quick at Canterbury, Sydney and the couple raised a family.

George died in Sydney in 1955; his service is commemorated on the Gerringong Soldiers Memorial.

George's cousin Joseph Thomas Cooper (Service No 5067) died in the battle for Pozieres.

Sources:

NAA: B2455, DONOVAN G