Newsletter of the Haskell Family Society, Vol 2, # 3
George Ernest moved to Melbourne, Australia operating there a market garden before World War I. At the outbreak of the war Bert returned to England, and first as Sapper WR/334861 served in the Marine Company of the Royal Engineers, and later was transferred to the East Surrey Regiment.
George Ernest Haskell, Sapper No.1953, joined the 1st Division Signal Company, Australian Imperial Force on 18 January 1915, at Frankston, Victoria. He is described as 19 years of age, 5 feet 5 and a quarter inches tall, 110 pounds, 34 and a quarter inch chest, fresh complexion, grey eyes and light brown hair; he is listed on the Australian Imperial Force Nominal Roll among nine Haskell's who left Australia for service abroad. He was embarked on troopship Scotian first to Egypt, thence forwarded to his battalion at Gallipoli. He arrived there 10 July 1915, at Anzac Cove, that bare beachhead on the Aegean Sea of the Australian and New Zealand Corps, literally a death trap tor the troops landing there.
The landings by the Australians and New Zealanders have subsequently become etched in national memory in both countries and is marked by a holiday with dawn remembrance services in every town and hamlet. The long casualty lists from Gallipoli raised national consciousness and served as a source of bonding the crucible of nationhood whose casualty rate was 50 per cent, several times that of the entire Allied force.
George Ernest Haskell was one of those casualties. He was evacuated first to a hospital on the Allied Aegean island base of Mudros, thence via hospital ship Soudan transported to 1st Australian General Hospital at Hellopolis, Cairo, Egypt.
He returned to duty on 4 November 1915, at the Mudros base. There he remained until the day after Christmas 1915, when he embarked on the transport London to be disembarked three days later at Malta. He was then invalided to England via the trooper Carisbrook Castle where he was hospitalized at Abbeywood Hospital, London. On return to duty he was posted to an Australian army camp on Salisbury Plain in late 1915.
George took great stock in his birthdays and usually overstayed his leave at that time. In 1916 he failed to return on time from special leave which he undoubtedly spent with his family near Manchester, and was given 14 days detention and had to forfeit 14 days pay. That September he marched with his company for forwarding to France and shortly thereafter, never fully recovered from the effects of the Gallipoli campaign, was again in hospital this time in Belgium.
He rejoined his unit in France 17th November 1916, and was severely wounded in action there on 23 April 1917. He was buried alive for three days by a shell blast, subsequently found and dug out in very poor condition. However, the record shows he was able to rejoin his company 19 May 1917 but no doubt his health was seriously impaired as by June 1918 he was down with the deadly Influenza that swept the world at that time and had to remain in hospital at Le Havre, France for many months. Hence he was unable to rejoin his unit again until 5 August 1918, marching to Abbeville where they were then located.
In October of that year he was granted leave to the UK where he will have spent time with his family and returning late again cost him dearly. He received 28 days detention and 37 days pay loss which we suspect he may well have felt was worth it.
On 18 January 1919, he with his company were forwarded to the UK, the war having finally ended some two months earlier, and posted to 2nd Training Brigade, Codford, Wilts., only a few miles from the family origins at Cann, Donhead St Andrew and Melbury Abbas.
On 21 March 1919, George boarded the trooper Kildonan Castle at Devonport for return to Australia to be demobbed and where he disembarked on 7th May 1919. George Haskell's awards include the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Following release from military service George resided at Durban, South Africa from 1919 through 1924 before resettling in Auckland, New Zealand in 1925, having married in 1921 Gertrude Powell from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs. UK.