The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (5402) Private George Summerton, 27th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Greg Kimball, the story for this day was on (5402) Private George Summerton, 27th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

5402 Private George Summerton, 27th Battalion, AIF
DOW 7 October 1917

Story delivered 13 November 2017

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private George Summerton.

George Summerton was born in 1896, the only son of George and Minnie Summerton of Silverton, New South Wales. He was educated at the Silverton Public School and went on to work in the telegraph department of the post office in nearby Broken Hill. George’s parents either died or left at some point during his childhood, and he was cared for by his grandmother Susan. He also had a circle of caring uncles and aunts.

Summerton enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in June 1916. Like most men who enlisted from Broken Hill, he was posted to a South Australian battalion, the 27th. Before he left for the front, the citizens of Silverton held a social evening for him, in which he was presented an inscribed wristwatch and a prayer book. He was held in such esteem that a large number of the residents of Silverton saw him off at the train station the next day. Private Summerton first went to England to continue his training, and arrived in France in November 1916.

After just ten days in the front line, Private Summerton fell ill with the mumps and was taken to hospital in Boulogne, where he took a month to recover. He returned to the battalion just after Christmas 1916, and spent the rest of the bitterly cold winter rotating in and out of the front line.

The 27th Battalion took part in minor operations during the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line in early 1917, but would not conduct a major attack until 20 September 1917, when it formed part of the first wave at the Battle of Menin Road. Part of the Battle of Third Ypres, also known as Passchendaele, Menin Road was a startling success as advancing troops overcame formidable German defences.

During this attack or shortly afterwards, Private George Summerton was wounded in the back and shoulder by the blast of an artillery shell. He was taken to hospital in England, where it was found that fragments of the shell had penetrated his chest cavity. His condition slowly deteriorated, and he died on 7 October 1917.

Lance Corporal Shreeve of the Cheshire Regiment was in the same ward as Summerton, and wrote to his grandmother in Silverton, saying, “I cannot tell you how sorry the staff and patients were when he died … I deeply sympathise with you in your loss. He was a good lad, always thankful for anything done for him.” Shreeve and another patient organised a fundraising drive to buy a large cross for Summerton’s grave, and several large wreaths.

A large number of non-commissioned officers and private soldiers of the 27th Battalion were awarded the Military Medal for their part in the Battle of Menin Road. George Summerton’s was awarded posthumously. His aunt in Port Augusta published the following poem in loving memory of her nephew:
I think of you in silence, dear George
No eyes can see me weep;
And many a silent tear I shed
While others are asleep.
God knows how much I miss you,
He counts the tears I shed;
And whispers “Hush, he only sleeps,
Your loved one is not dead …
Yes, at Heaven’s gates he’ll meet me,
With the same sweet, loving smile;
For we are parted just for a little while.
Today George Summerton lies under a standard Commonwealth War Graves headstone with another 275 casualties of the Great War in the Brighton City (Bear Road) Cemetery. He was 21 years old.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among almost 62,000 Australians who died while serving in the First World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private George Summerton, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Meleah Hampton
History, Military History Section