George Wetmore

George was born in 1885 at Granya, Victoria. He was one of seven children to Henry Jones and Margaret Francis (née Drover) Wetmore. George’s mother passed away when he was only six, leaving his father to raise five children under the age of fourteen. Henry married again in 1898 to Paulina Richardson.

On the 12th of September, 1916, George enlisted at Melbourne. At the time he was single, 32 year old labourer from Talgarno in Victoria. He was allocated the Regimental Number 6836 and placed in the 22nd Reinforcements for the 5th Battalion. After initial training he embarked on HMAT A38 Ulysses at Melbourne.

Upon arriving in England on the 28th of December, 1916, the reinforcements were sent to continue their training regime in the Salisbury Plain area of Wiltshire. Less than two weeks after arriving in England, George was admitted to the Fargo Military Hospital with pneumonia.

George’s Red Cross File explains what happened to him.

“Died of Illness

He was admitted to Hospital 10.11.17 [sic] very ill and died on the 14.1.17 Was buried 16.1.17 in Durrington Cemetery grave number 163. On right hand side of path. He was desperately ill when sent in from the camp. Every care and attention was given but with no avail. The Winter has been very severe and the Australian troops have suffered terribly. The sister of the ward always writes to the relatives if possible so I hope by now they will have heard from her.

Cert. by letter from  The Matron

Fargo Hospital,

Salisbury Plain,

10.4.17

London

1.5.17.”

George was buried in the Durrington Cemetery, Wiltshire, England. He is remembered on the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, the Granya War Memorial, and the Towong Shire Boer War and WW1 Roll of Honour at Tallangatta, Victoria. As George had not entered a theatre of war he was only entitled to the British War Medal