Can you help us identify George?

George was born on 10 December 1869 in the small goldmining township of Araluen, nestled deep in the southern tablelands of New South Wales. A beautiful valley with very steep access. No coaches could do it. Bullock wagon territory back then. George’s grandparents John and Mary Ann were living in Araluen, so the young family had support of grandparents, particularly grandmother who died in 1889. The Araluen Creek winds through an extensive valley 1200 feet above the sea level, and is surrounded by ranges of mountains about two miles apart.

George was the fourth of seven children born to William Greenwood (1838-1891) and Ellen Greenwood née Summers (1848-1928), a pioneering gold rush family of Irish and English descent. Their marriage was recorded in 1863 at Braidwood. Ellen’s ancestors were Sumner from Cheshire.

Children of William and Ellen:

George grew up with siblings — four boys in the middle, in a rugged rural landscape shaped by bush labour, mining, and farming, independence and bush rangers. His father, William was still designated as a gold miner for Probate in 1891.He had worked as a labourer and miner during the height of the Araluen gold rush and was described as a publican in 1861 Govt Gazette. At one time there were forty public houses in Araluen and William Greenwood was Billy. By 1864 he was insolvent and out of publican business. By the 1870s, the area had quietened, but families like the Greenwoods remained, raising children and making a modest living from the land.

George and siblings likely received a basic education at the local public school before entering the workforce in his early teens. Like many young men in country New South Wales, he became a labourer — a varied but physically demanding occupation. 1891 was a year of change. Catherine married in Goulburn and Elizabeth married at Braidwood to William Bruce and Charles Bruce respectively. Young William Greenwood was working away at the great mining centre of Hillgrove in northern New South Wales. George’s father died in 1891 in Araluen, and then young William died in 1893 aged 25, at Hillgrove.

A notice at the time spoke of the family grief:

It seems that Elizabeth was now responsible for the Greenwood family. George was now the eldest man in the family with youngest sister only 8 at the time, so George may have provided financial support to his mother and three younger siblings. The three youngest all married in Sydney - Edward in 1900, Mary in 1904, and Joseph in 1907/ We know he was a labourer in Balmain when he enlisted. Mother Ellen was certainly living in Dulwich Hill by then. He gave his address as care of his married sister Elizabeth Bruce at 7 Hampton Street, Balmain — a working-class harbour suburb of Sydney. Elizabeth was listed as his next of kin and remained George’s closest contact when he joined the AIF.

His decision to enlist under the name “George Smith” may have been an effort to avoid scrutiny due to his age — he was 45 at the time, well above the usual enlistment age. It also may reflect a quiet sense of independence or protectiveness of his family. He declared his occupation as labourer, changed his surname to Smith, and lowered his age to 42, and was accepted for service. Though he left few personal records behind, George’s actions spoke volumes, at a time when most men his age were long settled into civilian life, he volunteered to serve overseas. His quiet patriotism and the strength of his ties to family — especially his sister — endure in the sparse official record he left behind.

Assigned to the 8th Reinforcements of the 1st Battalion, George embarked from Sydney on 9 August 1915 aboard the HMAT Runic. After arrival in the Middle East, he was sent forward to Gallipoli, landing there in October 1915 during the final phase of the campaign. His brief service on the peninsula placed him among the last reinforcements to experience the conditions of the Dardanelles. He likely served in the trenches at Lone Pine or Johnston’s Jolly, where the 1st Battalion was stationed at the time. Following the evacuation of Gallipoli in December 1915, George was returned to Egypt with the rest of the AIF.

In early 1916, during the reorganisation and expansion of the Australian forces, he was transferred to the newly formed 53rd Battalion — part of the 14th Brigade in the 5th Australian Division. Throughout early 1916, George trained with his new battalion in Tel el Kebir, Ismailia, and Moascar, learning the tactics and weapons of the Western Front.

The battalion included a mixture of Gallipoli veterans and fresh reinforcements, and the atmosphere was one of both preparation and camaraderie. His age made him unusual — most of the men were in their twenties — but there is no indication that George was anything less than committed and capable. The 53rd Battalion embarked for France in mid-June 1916, disembarking at Marseilles and proceeding by train and foot to northern France.

On 8 July 1916, the 53rd Battalion began a 30-kilometre march northward toward Fleurbaix in northern France. They reached billets there on 16 July and prepared for their first major battle on the Western Front.

Early the next morning, the 53rd were moved straight into the front lines in readiness for an assault, but the attack was cancelled due to bad weather. They remained in the trenches in relief of the 54th Battalion. On the 19th of July, heavy artillery bombardment was underway from both sides by 11.00 AM. At 4.00 PM, the 54th rejoined on the 53rd's left. The 14th Brigade — comprising the 53rd, 54th, 55th, and 56th Battalions — was now fully in position. The Zero Hour for the infantry advance was to be 5.45 PM, but the Germans had anticipated the attack. At 5.15 PM, they launched a massive pre-emptive artillery barrage on the Australian lines, causing chaos and numerous casualties.

The 53rd's objective was to attack to the left of the elevated and heavily fortified German strongpoint known as the “Sugar Loaf”. This bastion dominated the battlefield with interlocking fields of machine gun fire. Unless the Sugar Loaf was captured, advancing troops would be subjected to enfilading fire and counterattack. The 53rd was to coordinate with the 60th on the right and the 54th on the left as they crossed No-Man’s-Land.

The Australian assault began at 5.43 PM. The 53rd advanced in four waves — A and B Companies in the first two, C and D in the third and fourth. They did not charge immediately, but crawled out into No-Man’s-Land and lay in wait for the artillery bombardment to lift. At 6.00 PM, the men rushed the German lines under intense rifle and machine gun fire.

Despite horrific resistance, the 53rd made rapid progress and overran several trench lines. Corporal J.T. James of C Company (3550) recalled:

The 14th Brigade War Diary recorded that the preliminary barrage had been largely effective, and that:

However, within 20 minutes of the assault, the 53rd had lost all company commanders, all seconds-in-command, and six junior officers.

Source: AWM – C.E.W. Bean, The AIF in France, Vol. III, Chapter XII, p. 369

Some of the advanced trenches they occupied were mere water-filled ditches and required rapid consolidation. The 53rd successfully linked up with the 54th on their left and extended their position toward Delangre Farm, holding a line that included remnants of the 31st and 32nd Battalions. However, the 60th on their right had been unable to advance due to devastating fire from the Sugar Loaf. The 53rd held their ground throughout the night, repelling repeated German counterattacks.

But their exposed right flank eventually allowed the enemy to infiltrate the original Australian lines behind them, cutting them off from support and ammunition. Isolated, they were forced to fight their way back. At 9.00 AM on 20 July, the 53rd received orders to withdraw from their positions. By 9.30 AM, those who could do so had retreated under fire, suffering further losses during the withdrawal:

The final toll on the battalion was staggering. Of the 990 men who had left Egypt only weeks earlier, 36 were killed, 353 wounded, and 236 listed as missing by the next roll call:

When Charles Bean, Australia’s official war correspondent and later war historian, visited the battlefield over two years later, he described a landscape still littered with bones, torn uniforms, and shattered equipment — silent testimony to the ferocity of the failed assault. In total, 245 men of the 53rd were killed or died of wounds, and 190 of them were never identified. Among those never recovered was George.

George was never seen again after the night of 19 July 1916. His body was not recovered, and he has no known grave. He is officially commemorated on Panel 8 of the V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial at Fromelles, where the names of over 1,200 Australians missing from the battle are inscribed.

George’s true name was confirmed posthumously, and he is remembered in the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra under his birth name, George Greenwood and at VC Corner. George’s service is especially poignant due to his age. At 46 years old, he was one of the oldest known Australians to die at Fromelles. He had no wife or children, and for many years his story was buried in the administrative complexities of his assumed name. Yet his courage, determination, and quiet sense of duty are apparent.

His sister Elizabeth, who supported his enlistment and been listed as his next of kin, remained in Balmain for decades after the war. She lived until 1959 — long enough to see George’s name properly recognised. Today, George is honoured not only as a soldier but as a brother, an older Australian who gave up the quiet of civilian life to stand alongside younger men in a distant land. He remains “Known unto God” — but not forgotten:

George’s widowed mother eventually received the pension from the army and the medals and plaque (Dead Man’s Penny).

George was one of the many soldiers whose remains were never found after the Battle of Fromelles. It is believed he may be among the unidentified soldiers buried by German forces in mass graves behind the lines, later discovered at Pheasant Wood.

Efforts to identify these soldiers through DNA comparison are ongoing. If you are a descendant or relative of the Greenwood or Summers families, your DNA could help finally identify George and give him a named grave.

Please get in touch to help us find George.