Private George Honey was one of the 718 casualties suffered by the 32nd Battalion in its first major battle on the Western Front – effectively losing almost 90 percent of the battalion’s actual fighting strength just three days after first entering the front-line trenches. As part of that disastrous introduction to battle, George was killed by a German bayonet in their unit’s first encounter of the battle and his comrades were unable to recover his body when they retired.

His name was included on the German death list dated 2 August 1916 which meant that he had been buried by the Germans. The Germans kept good records of these burials including collecting the identification discs of those buried.

Fortunately for his family, his death was reported very quickly with his wife notified on 11 August 1916. This was most unusual during this period as most families were advised only that their loved one was missing and had to wait until investigations were conducted in the tumult of the ongoing war, a process that often took many months and, for some, well over a year. Sadly, for most families, the outcome was often still the same – killed in action – but they had the additional torture of waiting with hope and uncertainty.

So, who was Private George Honey?

George Honey was born on 7 May 1886 in Port Isaac, Cornwall, the eighth child of eleven born to Thirza (nee Tabb) and John William Honey. Living on the coast of Cornwall, it is no surprise that the men of the family generally made their living from the sea as fishermen and mariners.

At 26 years of age, George emigrated to Australia on board the SS Gothic This was in December 1912, just two months after he had married Ann Brown Bradshaw in St Endellion’s parish church in their hometown of Port Isaac. On shipping records, George stated his occupation as farm labourer despite having worked as a fisherman and mariner since the age of 14. Perhaps this was to meet immigration criteria of the time.

George and Ann arrived in Fremantle in January 1913 and settled in Beechboro, West Guildford, now a suburb of Perth. It seems that George undertook labouring work until he enlisted in July 1915. George and Annie also welcomed the arrival of a son, James William Honey on 2 May 1914 – a son who had not long had his first birthday when George went off to war.

Enlisting in Perth in July 1915 aged 29, George began his training at Blackboy Hill and was assigned to the 32nd Battalion, D Company. The battalion left Australia from Adelaide on the final voyage of the troopship A2 Geelong on 18 November 1915. They disembarked at Port Suez on 18 December 1915.

George would have trained and served with his unit in Egypt and then embarked with them for France in June. We have little details of his service other than what can be gleaned from enquiries made by the Red Cross. In one statement dated 19 November 1916, 3116 Private Herbert C. Grieves gave evidence that:

Further evidence was provided by 1379 Private Frederick Thew of D Company, 32nd Battalion who advised:

Left to grieve the loss of her husband, Ann Brown Honey then aged 29, was left to raise their son Jim alone. She received a pension from the army and also had the support of her brother John with whom they lived for a time. As next of kin, Ann also received George’s identification disc that was returned by the Germans and, after the war, she received her husband’s memorial plaque and war service medals.

Ann never remarried and she eventually settled – with young James - in Maylands, a suburb of Perth. When World War II commenced, James was 25 and enlisted as a gunner with the Garrison Artillery. He returned to Australia and worked with the Government Printing Office but sadly died aged 36 in 1951.

Ann survived James by 14 years dying in 1965 aged 78. James and Ann were both cremated and are memorialised in the Crematorium Rose Gardens, Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth.

The Port Isaac Heritage website describes the 2010 reburial ceremony as follows:

In 2019, Private George Honey was one of seven soldiers identified in that year and given his dignified grave at last. At Pheasant Wood cemetery, he now ‘sleeps beside his comrades’ with a gravestone honouring his life and sacrifice. The inscription reads: 1291 Private G. Honey. 32nd Bn Australian Inf. 19th July 1916 Age 30. He sleeps beside his comrades.