We remember: George Eyre

A century on from the end of World War I we acknowledge their service …
Lest we forget.

Gunner George Cyril Eyre
Born: 3 September 1895 Staffordshire, England. Died: 11 August 1972 Hampton.
Enlisted: 3 July 1915 aged 19
Served: Western Front

George was born in England and by 1915 had migrated to Australia, and was working as a stableman at “Goronga” Pakenham Upper, where he was employed by Hilda Raleigh.

George was not yet 20 years old when he enlisted with his mother’s permission in July 1915. He had previously been rejected for enlistment due to height, being only 5 feet 2 inches tall.

He left Australia for Egypt in November 1915 and subsequently served on the Western Front with a number of artillery units.

In March 1919, George was sent back to England pending repatriation to Australia, but he decided that he did not want to return to Australia and sought permission to be discharged in England on the grounds that all of his family was in England and that his fiancee would not move to Australia.

The Army refused his request and he eventually returned back to Australia, seemingly without his intended bride.

He lived in Carlton and worked as a brass moulder, later living in St Kilda West, Coburg, Richmond and Cheltenham. He married later in life.

This is an extract from Patrick Ferry’s book A Century After The Guns Fell Silent – Remembering the Pakenham District’s WWI Diggers 1914-18.
For more details on this and other profiles in the book, head to the website www.pakenhamww1.com