STAFF SERGEANT PETER (GEORGE HENRY) JARRY DCM
605 – 2nd Australian Tunnelling Company
For reasons unknown, when George Henry Jarry enlisted in the A.I.F. he used his brothers’ name, Peter. When Peter himself enlisted some 8 months later, he used his own name. The WW1 Nominal Rolls record number 605 Peter Jarry, 2nd Australian Tunnelling Company and number 27540 Gunner Peter Jarry, 12th Field Artillery Brigade. Both men served out the war as Peter Jarry, and all documentation for both men refer only to ‘Peter Jarry’ except for two small, post-war notations on the younger brothers’ file that he was indeed George Henry Jarry.
This profile is about 605 Staff Sergeant Peter Jarry, but he will be referred to as George throughout.
George Henry Jarry was born at Ravenswood, near Bendigo, Victoria on 21 December 1894 and was schooled in the Wimmera district.
He stated he was 21 years and 10 month of age when he signed the ‘Attestation Paper of Persons Enlisted for Service Abroad’ on 28 September 1915, using his brother’s name ‘Peter’. He signed the Oath to ‘well and truly serve’ on the same day at Melbourne and underwent a medical examination which found him to be fit for active service. A single Horse Driver by trade, George was 5ft 10¼in tall and weighed 11 stone 12 lbs. He had a fresh complexion with brown eyes and dark hair.
He named his mother, Elizabeth Jarry of Eddington, Victoria as his Next of Kin, stating that his father, who had been born in France, was deceased.
George was camped at 24 Depot Battalion from 28 September to 5 November 1915 when he was appointed to No.2 Company of the newly formed Australian Mining Corps at their Casula Camp near Liverpool, New South Wales, with the rank of Sapper and the Service Number 605.
He trained with the Mining Corps until 20 February 1916 when he embarked with the unit from Sydney on board HMAT A38 Ulysses.
At a civic parade in the Domain, Sydney on Saturday February 19, 1916, a large crowd of relations and friends of the departing Miners lined the four sides of the parade ground. Sixty police and 100 Garrison Military Police were on hand to keep the crowds within bounds. The scene was an inspiriting one. On the extreme right flank, facing the saluting base, were companies of the Rifle Club School; next came a detachment of the 4th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, then the bands of the Light Horse, Liverpool Depot, and the Miners’ on the left, rank upon rank, the Miners’ Battalion.
Following the farewell parade in the Domain, Sydney, the Australian Mining Corps embarked from Sydney, New South Wales on 20 February 1916 on board HMAT A38 Ulysses.
The Mining Corps comprised 1303 members at the time they embarked with a Headquarters of 40; No.1 Company – 390; No.2 Company – 380; No.3 Company – 392, and 101 members of the 1st Reinforcements.
Ulysses arrived in Melbourne, Victoria on 22 February and the Miners were camped at Broadmeadows while additional stores and equipment were loaded onto Ulysses. Another parade was held at the Broadmeadows camp on March 1, the Miners’ Corps being inspected by the Governor-General, as Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth military forces.
Departing Melbourne on 1 March, Ulysses sailed to Fremantle, Western Australia where a further 53 members of the Corps were embarked. The ship hit a reef when leaving Fremantle harbour, stripping the plates for 40 feet and, although there was a gap in the outside plate, the inner bilge plates were not punctured. The men on board nicknamed her ‘Useless’. The Miners were off-loaded and sent to the Blackboy Hill Camp where further training was conducted. After a delay of about a month due to Ulysses requiring repairs following a collision with an uncharted rock when leaving Fremantle on 8 March, The Mining Corps sailed for the European Theatre on 1 April 1916. The men on board nicknamed her ‘Useless’.
The ship arrived at Suez, Egypt on 22 April, departing for Port Said the next day; then on to Alexandria. The Captain of the shipwas reluctantto take Ulysses out of the Suez Canal because he felt the weight of the ship made it impossible to manoeuvre in the situation of a submarine attack. The Mining Corps was transhipped to B1 Ansonia for the final legs to Marseilles, France via Valetta, Malta. Arriving at Marseilles on 5 May, most of the men entrained for Hazebrouck where they arrived to set up their first camp on 8 May 1916.
A ‘Mining Corps’ did not fit in the British Expeditionary Force, and the Corps was disbanded and three Australian Tunnelling Companies were formed. The Technical Staff of the Corps Headquarters, plus some technically qualified men from the individual companies, was formed into the entirely new Australian Electrical and Mechanical Mining and Boring Company (AEMMBC), better known as the ‘Alphabetical Company’.
Like many of the Miners of the 2nd Aust. Tunn. Coy to which George now belonged, he was temporarily attached to 171st Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers, on 14 May for a course of instruction. He attended the ‘Army Proto School’ of the 2nd Army between 15 and 22 May, achieving Very Good results in General Knowledge of Proto Apparatus, Salvus Apparatus, Oxygen Reviving Apparatus and Practical Work in Galleries. He was deemed competent to wear the apparatus in noxious atmospheres. He also received training in First Aid in Gas Poisoning Cases. He attended a Retraining Course from 1 to 7 October, again receiving Very Good results, and was appointed Lance Corporal 29 October 1916. In November 1916, George again attended the 2nd Army Mine Rescue School and qualified to act as a Company Instructor.
George was a member of his Sections football team and in March 1917 he sent a photo-postcard of the team home to his mother.
On 25 February 1917 he gave a civilian a ride in a War Office vehicle, a breach General Orders, and his punishment was to be reduced to the ‘Permanent Grade of Sapper’
In June 1917 the 2nd Tunnelling Company was specifically selected for tunnelling work at Nieuport–Bains due to their expertise in soft ground. The work was in preparation for Operation Hush, the later abandoned plan for a British landing on the Belgian coast.
On 10 July 1917, the Germans overran the allied positions and the unit Diary recorded the following:
10 July, 1917
The extreme left of the British front line was at this time about 600 yards in advance of the River Yser, and consisted of a series of posts in the Dunes, and on the beach. The Reserve line, Battalion Head Qtrs, and the billets of this unit were on the Western side of the river, and connected to the front line system, by three pontoon bridges. About 8 am the enemy opened up a heavy bombardment on these bridges and by 2 pm they were destroyed, the result being that all men on the Eastern side of the river were cut off. These included 2/Lt W.M. MORTENSON and 2/Lt E.P. HARGRAVES, 47 Tunnellers and 47 attached infantry, 1 Battalion Kings Royal Rifles Corps, and 1 Battalion 1st Gloucester Regiment, with technical arms.
Throughout the day the enemy kept up an intense and destructive bombardment on NIEUPORT BAINS.
As nearly as can be estimated, at about 7 pm the enemy attacked and killed or took prisoner all on that side of the river, with the exception of a few Officers and men who swam across.
The following members of this Company escaped. 2/Lt E.P. HARGRAVES. He remained on enemy side dressing wounded men and destroying papers in Company Headquarters, until the last moment, then swam across at 9 pm. No 2432 Sapper James O’CONNELL was in the Company cook house near the front line, when the enemy advanced. He retreated bombing until he reached the canal bank, when he was shot in the head by a rifle bullet. He fell into the canal but managed to drag himself out and get a further supply of bombs, from a dugout near by, and again made a determined stand. After a time he was severely burnt with a flammenwerfer and again fell into the canal where he remained for about half an hour. He then got out and crept down to a dugout where his wounds were dressed by 2/Lt HARGRAVES, E.P. On the situation being explained to him, that it was necessary to either swim for the other side or be taken prisoner, he elected to try to swim. Although severely wounded and burnt he succeeded in reaching the other bank. Just as he was getting out of the water he heard a cry for help from the middle of the canal, without hesitation he plunged in again and succeeded in reaching the soldier who could not swim. On reaching the bank he collapsed, and was taken to the dressing station. He has been recommended for the VC. (Later awarded the D.C.M.)
No. 2441 Sapper BOURKE, F. and No. 2442 Sapper COADE, J. crossed the river about the same time also. Finding a number of non-swimmers on the enemy side they procured a rope and swam across with it, and remained holding it taut until all present had safely crossed. They were later awarded the Military Medal.
The casualties for the day for the Company were –
Killed Wounded Missing
Officers O.R. Offs O.R. Offs. O.R.
AUSTRALIANS 1 4 3 1 41
ATTACHED INFANT - - - - 47
TOTAL 1 4 3 1 88
On 20 July 1917 promoted to 2nd Corporal, replacing 4007 2nd Cpl Frank Herbert Ward who had been killed in action 5 days earlier at Nieuport.
George was promoted to Corporal on 21 December 1917 to complete the Units new establishment. He was promoted to Sergeant on 3 February 1918 to complete the Units establishment and enjoyed some leave from 26 February to 14 March 1918.
He suffered abrasions to his left hand and knee on 9 April when he was blown off his motorbike while Despatch riding.
After initial treatment he was evacuated to England on 13 April on Hospital Ship Ville de Liege with septic bursitis of the knee and admitted to Exeter War Hospital.
Discharged from hospital to furlough on 14 May, George was to report to No.1 Com. Depot, Sutton Veny, on 28 May. From there he marched-out to the Overseas Training Brigade at Longbridge Deverill on 3 June.
Coincidentally, on 3 June, the award to George of the Distinguished Conduct Medal was published in the London Gazette. The citation, as it appeared in the London Gazette of 3rd June 1918, reads:
‘For Conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during a time of great enemy activity. His gallant actions and energy have always set a first-rate example to his men under conditions of extreme difficulty. He has not missed a single day’s duty in twenty-two months on active service.’
The Company War Diary March 1918 records at Appendix XVIII:
‘No. 605 Sergt Peter Jarry – was in charge of a shift in the Nieuport Sector (Belgian Coast) putting in subways and machine gun positions in the dunes.
For exceptional good service and devotion to duty during the last 5 months. His gallant actions and energy have always set a first-class example to his men – particularly under conditions of extreme difficulty and great enemy activity in the Nieuport sector (Belgian Coast). He has not missed one day’s duty in the last 22 months.’
George proceeded overseas to France on 22 June marching into the Australian General Base Depot at Rouelles on 23 June. He rejoined the 2nd Tunnelling Company on 2 July and on 1 October 1918 was promoted to Staff Sergeant.
George’s mother, Elizabeth, was advised in November of the award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal to George.
His sister, Dorothy Jarry of Elmhurst, Victoria was also advised of the award on 2 December 1918.
George was again on leave from 16 to 25 December 1918 before rejoining his unit which was now employed rebuilding infrastructure and clearing mines and booby traps left behind by the Germans.
He marched out to England on 4 April 1919 for repatriation and demobilisation. Leaving England on 31 May on board H.T. Aeneas, George disembarked in Melbourne on 12 July 1919.
He received his Distinguished Conduct Medal through the mail on 17 August 1919
At 25 years and nine months of age, George, now described as a ‘Carpenter’, was Discharged from the Australian Imperial Expeditionary Force in Melbourne on 3 September 1919. He had spent 1,437 days in service, 1,239 of these abroad. His intended place of residence was Elmhurst, Victoria and he signed the Discharge paper (P)G.H. Jarry
George was entitled to wear the Distinguished Conduct Medal, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
He did not collect his BWM and VM medals and they were returned to Depot on 23 May 1923. George said he refused to travel to England to collect his medals as he got seasick on the voyage over and wouldn’t do that again.
George married Alice Lillian Pattemore at Paddington, New South Wales in September 1919. The couple had two daughters; Dorothy, born in 1920, and Marjorie in 1922. The couple divorced and the girls moved to Sydney with their mother. When Alice died in 1930, the girls re-joined their father in Upper Hawthorn, Victoria.