George Douglas Jones
- Born: 11 Apr 1899, Victoria Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
Another name for George was Douglas Jones.
General Notes:
George's only brother, Kenneth, was killed in the Gallipoli campaign in 1915. George signed up for the AIF himself in 1917 on the day after he turned 18. As he was under 21 years of age he received the consent of both parents. It must have been a terribly difficult thing for them to do knowing that they had already lost their only other son.
His occupation was recorded as "student" and he was living with his parents in Camberwell, Victoria. George was 5 feet 8 1/2 inches tall, with a 35 inch chest measurement. He weighed 10 stone 8 lbs, had a fair complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. He was Presbyterian. His Service Number 38012.
George was assigned to the Field Artillery, 31st Reinforcements, Vic on the 22nd August, 1917, as a Gunner. He embarked with his unit on the 9th November 1917 on Troopship A15 and disembarked in Southampton on the 5th January 1918, after brief stopovers in Alexandria and Taranto.
On the 9th May, George was found to be Absent Without Leave from midnight on the 8th May until 9pm on the 9th May and was punished with 7 Days of Confinement to Barracks and forfeiture of 3 days pay. He was in Heytesbury at this time.
On the 15th September he went via Folkestone to France where he joined the 3rd Divisional Artillery Column in Rouelles as a Gunner a few days later. He left France for home on the 1st July 1919 aboard the Karmala.
George was discharged from the AIF on the 10th September 1919. He was awarded the 1914/15 Star, the British War medal, No. 69949, and the Victory Medal, No. 66992.
He is recorded as living at his parent's address in the 1919 & 1924 Electoral Rolls, occupation "returned soldier".
He was living in Griffith, NSW in 1934/1935. He wrote a letter to the Base Records Department on the 29th March 1934 seeking a duplicate of his Discharge papers, which he had lost, "to assist in obtaining employment". His address was recorded as "c/o A. Harris, Willbriggie, NSW". Willbriggie is about 24 kms south of Griffith. He signed a Statutory Declaration in Narrandera on the 9th February regarding his lost or stolen Discharge Papers and his address was listed as the Post Office at Griffith. The 1937 Electoral Roll records that he was living at 41 Yambil St in Griffith, occupation labourer. He was still living in Yambil St in 1943, but across the road at No 42, and he was still a labourer. There doesn't appear to be any other Jones' living at this address (i.e. a wife). He is not recorded as deceased on his mother's Death Certificate in 1945. There is no record of him in Griffith in the 1954 Electoral Roll. He does not appear to have signed up to the Army in WW2. He is not referred to in the Wills for either of his sisters in who died in 1961 and 1971.
There is only one record of the death of a George Douglas Jones in NSW in a relevant period. He died at St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney on the 3rd August 1978. It is unclear if this is definitely our George as the age (76 years) is out by 3 years and his parents names were unknown. This George was recorded as unmarried.
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