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George Henry Giddy - Information

The Giddys were part of a large family from the Camden area. George’s father, Esdras, a Camden native, married Julia Quinn in 1886 in Camden. Esdras and Julia were then blessed with many children, including George, who was born in Mulgoa in 1896. George attended school in Penrith, before the family relocated to Commandant Hill in Kempsey, following the death of George’s mother in 1910. Here, George later gained employment as a labourer, before witnessing his older brother, John, sign up in September 1915 and leave for war. When George was 19, he decided to enlist in the AIF on the 28th of April 1916 at the Sports Ground in Sydney. He trained at Dubbo and Liverpool, where he was allotted to the 20th Reinforcements, 2nd Battalion. He sailed out of Sydney onboard the HMAT Euripides on the 9th of September 1916.

George landed in Plymouth, England on the 26th of October, marched into Larkhill and Perham Downs. In mid February, he was transported to France via Folkestone, joining the 2nd Battalion in the lines on the 11th of March. At the time, the Germans were withdrawing to a series of defence fortifications, known as the Hindenburg Line. When the Anzacs were ordered to advance towards the Hindenburg Line, George was wounded. On the 9th of April, he received a gun shot wound to his back. He was rushed by the 3rd Field Ambulance to the 3rd Casualty Clearing Station, where he later died of his wound on the 10th of April. He was buried at the Pozières British Cemetery, in Ovillers-La Boisselle, Pozières in France.