George, as he was fairly universally known in the army was a product of the depression of the 30’s growing up at Randwick with 2 other brothers and 3 sisters. Peter served his time as a motor mechanical apprentice locally, also taking up bicycle road racing.
He was called up in the general National Service and on completion of his 3 months he was posted to the 115 Mobile Coast Battery and found himself training on 6 inch Mk 7 coast guns. He settled quite easily into this, quickly advancing up the ranks to Warrant Officer Class 2 and posted as Battery Sergeant Major (BSM) and running the search lights. This continued until 1963, when the 114 Coast Artillery converted to 40mm Bofors Light Anti Aircraft (LAA) guns. The battery was then absorbed into 18 LAA Regt. George, as usual, stood out as a BSM in this branch of artillery as well and he became the Mess President and immediately placed a firm but fair hand on the Sergeant’s Mess. Another form of National Service put more people in the unit but George felt that the unit needed more to build up corps spirit and formed not only a unit rugby league football team but organised the inter-unit competition.
Change came again, this time it was 18 LAA’s time to retire from the order of battle and it was absorbed into 23 Field Regiment. Married and with a family George still led the way in the conversion to field branch. He was then appointed a Warrant Officer Class 1 being the first in artillery as a reservist to do so. Finding his duties and now running his own business too much he retired from the Army, a respected WO1 by his peers, soldiers and officers. He later retired out of the mechanical business and while still living in the Baulkham Hills area, he travelled to Manly to work at the Artillery Museum as a guide and to provide guidance to the Armco group in the care of our Land Rovers.
He suffered a stroke around 2006 which left him bedridden. Despite his situation, he still maintained some degree of good humour. George joined the RAA Association (NSW) in 1977 and was elected to the committee in 1984-88 and again from 2000 to 2004. |