WW1 AUSTRALIAN TWICE WOUNDED IN ACTION MEDALS GRIFFITHS 11TH BATTALION POZIERS
$199.99
SOLD
Offered is a British War and Victory Medals 1914 – 18, impressed named 4211 PTE. G .J. GRIFFITHS. 11 BN. A.I.F. court mounted for display. Australia collar badge and AUSTRALIA shoulder title. Comes with copies service records, photographs of the 3 Griffiths brothers from newspaper article, extracts war diary July 1916 and November 1917, certificates of the 3 Griffiths brothers. These were bought direct from the family.
Private George John Freeman Griffiths was born 4/12/1889 in Fremantle, Western Australia.
A railway ‘sleeper hewer’, he enlisted 17/9/1915 as part of the 13th reinforcements for the 11th Battalion. He landed in France on 4/4/1916 and joined the Battalion on 23/6/1916. He was in action at Pozieres and suffered a gunshot wound to his left arm on 22/7/1916. The Battalion lost 6 Officers killed, 11 wounded and 1 missing. 62 Other ranks were killed, 358 wounded and 91 missing (killed), about 50% of the Battalion. He was evacuated to England and re-joined the unit on 15/5/1917. Wounded for the 2nd time at Zonnebeke (Ypres), the 11th Battalion participated in the 3rd Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) and by November they were holding the lone near Zonnebeke and were subject to constant artillery fire. On the 2nd a post in Decoy Wood was blown in with 5 men killed and 5 wounded. Pte Griffiths suffered a bayonet wound to his foot. From his records this was possibly accidental but there is no record of an investigation of the matter so it probably occurred as a result of enemy action.
Evacuated to England and returned to France 9/3/1918 but immediately became non-effective due to illness 11/3/1918. 29/3/1918 re-joined unit until 17/4/1918 then hospital VD then influenza. 23/2/1919 to 11th Battalion. 4/4/1919- To Overseas Training Brigade Perham Downs England ex Australian Infantry Base Depot Havre France for Return to Australia. 1/6/1919- Embarked England for Australia per ” Somali ”. 8/7/1919- Disembarked Australia. 30/08/1919- Discharged from Service. Resided in Fremantle until his death on 5/8/1968.
George was one of three brothers who served WW1, the other two being James Richard Griffiths, 4212, 11th Battalion and Frederick William Griffiths 7585, 11th Battalion.
