About George Hart
George Hope Campbell Hart was born in Glasgow, Scotland on the 3rd March 1881. He was the son of Duncan (a banker) and Annie Hart. He grew up in Glasgow and attended Kelvinside Academy. After leaving school he was employed as an insurance officer, until 1906, when at the age of 25 he emigrated to Australia.
Broome Connection
George appears in Broome records in the Electoral Roll of 1912-1914, where he was listed as a labourer. He also appears in the Wise Directory, with no occupation given. George listed his occupation as a pearler in his attestation papers, so he may have leased a lugger and had a small pearling operation.
War Service
George Hart enlisted at Blackboy Hill Camp on 14/9/1914. He enlisted as a private but was promoted to Lance Corporal within a week of enlisting. He was appointed to the 12th Battalion, which was one of the first to be raised for the AIF and consisted of Tasmanian, South Australian and West Australian men. The battalion was raised within three weeks of the declaration of war and embarked for Egypt via the Medic just a few months later. Hart was promoted to Lance Corporal whilst still on the ship, which arrived in early December.
The 12th Battalion was among the 3rd Division, which was the covering force for the ANZAC landing on 25th April 1915 and was the first ashore. During this time Hart was mentioned in despatches but was wounded in Gallipoli when he received a gun shot wound to the thigh. He spent time recuperating in Alexandria, and then rejoined his unit.He was then promoted to Corporal, and then 2nd Lieutenant a month later.
Hart’s battalion remained in Gallipoli until the withdrawal of the forces in December 1915. In March 1916, the unit sailed for France and the Western Front, and Hart was seconded for duty with the Trench Mortar Battery for a month, and he returned to the 12th Battalion in June. Another promotion to Lieutenant followed soon after. In July 1916 Hart was wounded in action for the second time, by shrapnel in his back, which he received at Pozieres. He was sent back to England for an operation to remove the bullet, but it was not removed. The wound healed over, and Hart returned to France to join his unit.
Hart remained in France, serving with various battalions which included the 3rd Brigade Mining Company, and the 69th Battalion. He also spent some time in England training at the Divisional School in Tirancourt and Signal School in France. The 12th Battalion took part in the brief advance that followed the German Army’s retreat to the Hindenburg Line, and in April 1918 Hart was wounded for a third time, by a gun shot wound to the arms and thighs. He was taken to the casualty clearing station, but died two days later on April 25th 1918.
Awards
Enlistment Details
Newspaper Articles
Other Online Resources
View George Hart at the National Archives of Australia
View George Hart at the Australian War Memorial