Honour Avenue Memorial Drives Kings Park Perth, Western Australia.

The Honour Avenues of Kings Park was first dedicated to fallen soldiers in 1919. There are now three tree-lined avenues set aside to honour service personnel who died in the two World Wars and other engagements in May Drive, Lovekin Drive and Marri Walk.

The Honour Avenues Group, through association with the Returned and Services League (RSL), have been involved in the maintenance and preservation of the plaques along Kings Park's Honour Avenues, on behalf of the Kings Park Board, since 1922.

I have since become a volunteer of the Honour Avenue Group and assist with the maintaining and writing biographies for the Honour Avenue Groups database of over 1900 dedication plaques that now line the memorial drives of Kings Park to the fallen.

It was on the 12th?November 2022 the Honour Avenue Group dedicated a further ten plaques to the memorial drives. It was in this dedication ceremony that four plaques that were missing, were rededicated to the memorial drives. One of the re dedicated plaques was Sapper George Crawford. As a volunteer of this dedication ceremony, I assisted the family returning George's plaque back in its original location on May Drive, next to a relative. This is George’s story.?

George Edward Crawford was born in Sale Gippsland, Victoria on 22nd?June 1878 to Thomas William and Ellen Crawford (nee Lawson). He is believed to be one of eight siblings to Thomas and Ellen, with four brothers and three sisters. George undertook his schooling at Fitzroy State school in Victoria.

The exact date is unknown when George arrived in Perth, Western Australia however records indicate that it was in the late 1890’s as he enlisted with the Fremantle Infantry in 1897, resigning in 1902 after serving five years.

George moved to Mossman, Northern Queensland to work on two of his brother’s sugar cane farms, working as a planter. His eldest brother Thomas William Crawford owned the 400-acre (162 ha) Brie-Brie estate in the district of Mossman, who was also a federal politician from 1917 until his retirement in 1947. George returned to Perth, Western Australia in 1911 residing in Cambridge Street Leederville where he was employed with Western Australia Government Railways (W.A.G.R.) working as a pipe fitter.

In October 1915 he enlisted into the AIF at Perth were at the completion of his training he embarked from Sydney, New South Wales on the 2nd?May 1916 aboard HMAT Hororata, arriving at a training camp in Tel el Kebir, Egypt in June 1916.

Embarking from Alexandria, Egypt he arrived in England where he was transferred to an Engineers Training Depot, Essex in September 1916. In January 1917 at the completion of his training he arrived in France. His stint in France was short as he returned to England in February 1917, transferred to the 17th?Field Company Australian Engineers. At the completion of his training, he proceeded overseas to France in November 1917. He was taken on strength with the 4th?Field Company Australian Engineers with the rank of Sapper.

On the 29th?April 1918 George with several sections of engineers moved forward into the front line, where they dug themselves into positions near the road from Fouilloy to Villers Bretonneux. At this location they were preparing incendiary charges to conduct a raid into no man’s land east of Villers Bretonneux to burn old aircraft hangers.

It was at about 10.15pm on the 30th?April 1918 that George with a section of engineers moved forward into no mans land to demolish the aircraft hangers. Whilst attempting to demolish the old hangers George with his fellow sappers came under fire from German machine gunners where Sapper Nielsen was killed by the German machine gunners.

A letter written to William Crawford, George’s brother by his Section Officer a Lieutenant Buckler records that George was killed by shell fire between 10.15pm and 10.30pm on 30th?April 1918. He writes their duty was to demolish some buildings front of our line near Villers Bretonneux, when they encountered hostile shell fire where George was killed by a direct hit from a 75mm shell.

George along with Sapper Nielsen were buried the next day in Chalk Pit also known as Chalk Lane Cemetery near the road from Fouilloy to Villers Bretonneux. George’s family would later receive a photograph of a cross marking George’s grave, which had been erected by his comrades in Chalk Pit British Cemetery.

At the completion of the war in 1918 all the graves from Chalk Pit where re-interned into the new Villers Bretonneux Military Cemetery by the Army Graves registration Unit in 1919. It is unclear of the exact details, but George was never re interned into this new cemetery, it may be due to that Georges grave site in Chalk Pit was destroyed from later battles with his precise burial location been lost. He is recorded as having an unknown grave.George's grave . (Photograph records of Douglas Booth)

Sapper George Edward Crawford 8802 of 4th?Field Company Australian Engineers was killed in action recorded on 1st?May 1918, he was 39 years of age.

He is remembered with honour on the Australian National Memorial at Villers Bretonneux.?

He has not been forgotten by his family.