Private George Clark Carnie

George Clark Carnie was born in Melbourne on 15 October 1889. He was 25 years old and a farm labourer at the time he enlisted with the 8th Battalion, 11th Reinforcements, on 28 July 1915. Private Carnie celebrated his 26th birthday on board the HMAT Nestor after embarking from Port Melbourne along with 2,300 soldiers on 11 October 1915. The company disembarked in Cairo on 6 November 1915. Carnie trained in Egypt until April 1916, when he sailed with his battalion for France and the Western Front. From then until 1918 Carnie predominantly served in operations as an armourer. The battalion's first major action in France was at Pozieres in the Somme valley in July 1916. After Pozieres, the battalion fought at Ypres in Flanders, returning to the Somme for winter. In 1917, the battalion followed the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line, and then returned to Belgium, in the offensive east of Ypres. In March and April 1918, the battalion helped prevent the German spring offensive, and subsequently participated in the allies’ offensive, launched near Amiens on 8 August 1918.

On 7 November 1918, Carnie transferred to the Australian Army Ordnance Corps. He departed home for Australia on 16 June 1919, on board the Ormonde. He discharged from the army on 26 November 2019.