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| Private George Edward Patrick McDermott |
2nd Pioneer Battalion |
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Another widower to enlist was George McDermott. His wife Annie had died in 1914 leaving him with three small children to raise. Having organised guardianship of the children he volunteered in October 1916 and was allotted to the 2nd Pioneer Battalion. He arrived in England in February 1917 and remained in camp until January 1918 when he was marched out to his unit in France. In April 1918 he developed acute rheumatic fever and was evacuated through the system to England. After spending time at Sutton Veny recovering, the decision was made to send him home, leaving England on 6 November 1918, five days short of the Armistice. George lived and worked along the coast before settling at Latrobe where he died in May 1964 aged 89 years.
