McNEILAGE, George Campbell (1890-1967)
George Campbell McNeilage was born at Port Melbourne on 3 August 1890, the son of William McNeilage and Elizabeth nee Glen. of Spottiswood. He was enrolled as a boarder at Geelong College in 1900, leaving in 1908. His address at entry was Spottiswoode, Victoria. He was a strong all-round sportsman, being in the 1st Football XVIII 1905-1908, 1st Cricket XI 1905-1908, and 1st Rowning VIII for four years, 1905-08, and Captain of Boats the last two years, 1907-08. In a cricket match against Wesley College in 1908 he scored 112.
He later worked as a commercial traveller with the Melbourne Glass Bottle Works, Spotswood.
He played VFL football with Geelong (5 games in 1907) and Melbourne Football Clubs (1 game in 1909), and with Norwood in the South Australian Football League 1912-1913.
During World War I, he enlisted (No 8549) in Adelaide in the AIF on 13 September 1915. Two weekls later, on 29 September 1915 he married Alice Muriel Best, the daughter of Sydney Thomas Charles Best and Alice Adelaide Best, at St George’s Church, Gawler, and they lived at The Rectory, Cowan Street, Gawler. He embarked for France with the 6th Field Artillery Brigade Ammunition Column on HMAT A34 Persic on 22 November from Melbourne. In 1916 he was promoted to Bombadier.
The Pegasus of August 1917 reported:
'Sergeant George McNeilage was ‘gassed’ in France, and invalided to England, suffering from severe shell shock. He has now returned to the base, and taken charge of artillery details.'
George McNeilage returned to Australia, embarking on 30 January 1918.
He died on 20 March 1967, aged 76, and there is a memorial plaque to him at the St Jude Cemetery in Brighton, South Australia.
Sources: Based on an edited extract from Geelong Collegians at the Great War compiled by James Affleck. p 258 (citing The Pegasus; National Archives).