George Ernest BARRETT
Year of Birth: 1892
Place of Birth: Tuena, New South Wales, Australia
Date of Enlistment: 16 October 1916
Date and Place of Embarkation: 23 December 1916, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Ship: HMAT A64 Demosthenes
Rank: Private
Unit(s): 5/42nd Battalion
Regimental Number: 2769
Died: 12 August 1918
George Ernest Barrett was born in 1892, a twin son with Walter Barrett. Their parents were James and Emily Barrett who had four sons – Charles (1887) James (1889) George and Walter (1892) and one daughter, Elsie (1896).
George was working as a miner at Emuford, west of Cairns, Queensland when he enlisted. He was 24 years 5 months of age, 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 105 pounds. He had a dark complexion, light brown eyes and black hair. He was Church of England.
In his will, he named Florrie Stuart of Mareeba his beneficiary. Florence Ellen Stuart, born 1899, was the daughter of Andrew and Florence Stuart of Mareeba. She was George Barrett’s fiancée.
Private George Barrett embarked from Sydney on the HMAT Demosthenes on 23 December 1916 and arrived Plymouth, England on 3 March 1917.
He marched into 11th Training Battalion Durrington, Wiltshire, England. During WW1 many thousands of troops were billeted on Salisbury plain some under canvas others in wooden huts. Illness was rife amongst the soldiers travelling in cramped conditions on the transport ships. Private Barrett was admitted to hospital sick during training at Durrington before being sent to France to join 11th Brigade 3rd Division. After suffering from mumps and transferring to 42nd Battalion, he was admitted to Reading Hospital with a shrapnel wound to the head in October 1917.
He was discharged from 3rd Auxiliary Hospital to Hurdcott on 23 November 1917 and re-joined his battalion on 4 March 1918 via Southampton to France. He was killed in action on 12 August 1918 and was buried at Heath Cemetery, Harbonnieres, Somme, France.
Private J T Stuart, the brother of Private Barrett’s fiancé, Florrie Stuart, wrote on her behalf 19 December 1918 seeking information about Private Barrett’s death and burial place. The Australian Red Cross Enquiry Bureau responded immediately to his enquiry.
Online Resources
NAA: B2455 (BARRETT G.E.) National Archives of Australia
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
National Library of Australia: Trove Digitised Newspapers
Queensland Registrar of Births Deaths & Marriages
If you have a photograph or further information about this soldier you would like to share and add to his biography, please contact the Society at projects@cdfhs.org or leave a comment below. Thank you!