Pte
George William Thompson

Information about birth

Year of birth:
1892
Place of birth:
Paddington, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

General information

Profession:
Tobacco Worker

Army information

Country:
Australia
Force:
Australian Imperial Force
Rank:
Private
Service number:
6376
Enlistment date:
24/10/1916
Enlistment place:
Moore Park, Sydney, South Wales, Australia
Units:
 —  Australian Infantry, 17th Bn. (New South Wales)  (Last known unit)

Information about death

Date of death:
09/10/1917
Place of death:
Dairy Wood, Belgium
Cause of death:
Killed in action (K.I.A.)
Age:
25

Cemetery

Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood
Plot: VII
Row: C
Grave: 8

Distinctions and medals 2

Points of interest 2

#1 Place of birth
#2 Enlistment place

My story

Private George William Thompson served in the Australian Infantry 17th Battalion, part of the 5th Australian Brigade, of the 2nd Australian Division. The 2nd Australian Division participated in the Battle of Poelcapelle on the 9th of October 1917. This Battle was a stage in the Third Battle of Ypres. The attack of the 5th Australian Brigade, with the 6th brigade on its right flank, was carried by the 20th Battalion and the 17th in close support.
At 5.20 a.m. the barrage opened, followed by the men of the 20th Battalion. The 17th Australian Battalion followed closely. When the Companies reached the crest of the Broodseinde Ridge they came under heavy machine-gun fire. Nevertheless they went on to the first objective, capturing a German strongpoint at Defy Crossing, along the Ypres-Roulers Railroad. While the 20th Battalion moved on, the left of the 17th Battalion had to secure Defy Crossing. This was far from easy, as the men were fired upon from German positions North of the Railroad, which the 66th British Division on the right had failed to reach, due to the swampy ground in front of these positions.
The right and center of the 17th Battalion was also enfiladed by German machine-gun positions in Dairy Wood, which was in the area the 6th Australian Brigade was supposed to take. Owing to the failure of the 6th Brigade to come up, the men of the 17th Australian Battalion were subsequently subjected to heavy machine-gun fire. A group of men was sent up to form a defensive flank in front Dairy Wood.
The 17th was now able to continue their advance, capturing and consolidating the Red Line. When the men at the Red Line came under fire from Assyria, a party rushed and took this German strongpoint, which was recaptured by the Germans later on. As the day went on the casualties began to mount. It was impossible to advance to the second objective, the Blue Line, because the Australian Battalions lacked the numbers and the British advance on the left had been checked in the boggy terrain.
The 17th Battalion held their ground at the Red Line and was relieved at 3 a.m. on the 10th of October 1917. The Battalion had suffered heavily. A total of twelve officers and 177 other ranks were killed, wounded or missing. Reducing the 17th Battalion’s effective strength by two-thirds.
Private George William Thompson was killed during the Battle of Poelcapelle on the 9th of October 1917. According to several witness reports in his Red Cross Wounded and Missing File, Private George William Thompson was wounded in the arm and was told to have his wound treated at a dressing station. He was possibly killed, due to shell fire on his way to the dressing station. His remains initially buried in the field near Dairy Wood. After the war his remains were exhumed and interred in Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood.

Files 2

Sources 8

"The Story of the Seventeenth Battalion A.I.F. in the Great War 1914-1918", Mackenzie K.W., Sydney, 1946, pg. 206-212.
Sources used
"The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995, pg. 104-106.
Sources used
AIF-project
https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/search
Sources used
Australian War Memorial
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10080698
Sources used
CWGC
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/480473/THOMPSON,%20G%20W
Sources used
National Archives of Australia
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx
Sources used
The Long, Long Trail
http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/
Sources used
War Diary A.I.F. 17th Bn.
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583
Sources used