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Private George Henry Spinks

On the 22nd of June 1891, George Henry Spinks was born at Penguin. George was the middle child of an older sister and younger brother, and lived with his parents, Rachel and Charles Spinks, whom George was very close with. He attended a local school in the Penguin district in his youth and loved the area. When he was only seven years old, George’s ten-year-old sister, Elvie, suffered a heart condition and passed away.

As he grew up, he became an increasingly devout Christian and something of an icon for positivity in the Penguin community.

On 4 January, 1916 George decided to enlist. He was 24 years old, 5 feet and 7 inches tall (1.7m) and had brown eyes and hair. George joined the 12th Australian Infantry Battalion as part of a group of reinforcements.  After training in Egypt, the troops left for Pozieres, France. In early September 1916, a campaign was launched against Mouquet Farm, aiming to finally retake Mouquet Farm from its German captors. On September 3rd, this attack officially began, and George took his first offensive role in battle, charging the German frontline alongside his fellow 52nd troops.

George's story was researched by Penguin District School student, Jacob Rittman.

Read Jacob's research into Pte George Henry Spinks

Read Jacob's winning entry for the Frank MacDonald Memorial Prize