Lieutenant Colonel George Herbert Bourne

Title

Lieutenant Colonel George Herbert Bourne

Identifier

P.015

Bibliographic Citation

George Herbert Bourne. (1881). Birth Record (1881/B/28442). Queensland Births Deaths and Marriages, QLD, Australia.
George Herbert Bourne. (1959). Death Record (1959/B/30533). Queensland Births Deaths and Marriages, QLD, Australia.
George Herbert Bourne. (1924). Marriage Record (1924/C/1544). Queensland Births Deaths and Marriages, QLD, Australia.
Bean, C. E. W. (2014). Anzac to Amiens. Penguin: London.
National Archives of Australia: Australian Imperial Force, Base Records Office; B2455, First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920; BOURNE GH, Bourne George Herbert: SERN LIEUT/COL, 1914 – 1920.
Australian War Memorial: Australian Imperial Force unit war diaries, 1914-18; AWM4 10/7, 2nd Light Horse Regiment.
Bourne, G. H. (2009). The history of the 2nd Light Horse Regiment, Australian Imperial Force August 1914-April 1919. John Burridge Military Antiques: Swanbourne.
Major Bourne, one of the soldiers photographed in The Queenslander Pictorial, supplement to The Queenslander, 1914. (2014). John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.
M. W. Farmer, 'Bourne, George Herbert (1881–1959)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bourne-george-herbert-5306/text8959, published first in hardcopy 1979, accessed online 18 November 2022.
Bourne, GH. (1915). OM68-25 George Herbert Bourne Papers 1846-195. State Library of Queensland, Brisbane. OM68-25-6; 8; 10; 13; 14.
Queensland Museum Historical Register, H725.
Stephenson, S. (1928-40). “Bourne, George Herbert” in Brisbane Grammar School Memorial Golden Book, Vol. 1, Brisbane Grammar School: Brisbane.
Nash, Allan William. (1915). Diary of Allan William Nash, 1915. Fryer Library, University of Queensland Library, F1512, item c.

Relation

C.015.001
C.015.002
C.015.003
C.015.004
C.015.005
C.015.006
C.015.007
C.015.008
C.015.009
C.015.010
C.015.011
C.015.012

Contributor

Mr James Donaldson

Biographical Text

George Herbert Bourne was born on 21 November 1881 to John Sumner Pears and Jane Elizabeth (nee Hockings) Bourne in South Brisbane. He was educated at Leichhardt St Boys School and continued on to Brisbane Boys Grammar School where he passed his Junior Certificate in 1898. On leaving school, he followed his father into the civil service, joining the Bank of New South Wales in Brisbane. By 1907 he was an Auditor with the bank of NSW in Toowoomba. As well as being a cadet with Brisbane Grammar School, George also served in the local 14th (Moreton) Light Horse Militia in Brisbane, and the 3rd (Darling Downs) Light Horse in Toowoomba, rising to the rank of Major by 1914 when he enlisted to serve in the AIF. He was commissioned as a Major with the 2nd Light Horse Regiment, in command of B Squadron.

The 2nd Light Horse proceeded overseas in September 1914, arriving in Egypt by December. Here the unit encamped at Heliopolis for training. The diary of Allan William Nash, Bourne’s Captain in the 2nd Light Horse’s B Squadron, mentions various sightseeing trips that Bourne and other officers took while in Egypt. This includes a three day trip to Luxor starting 2 January 1915, where Bourne acquired a piece of plaster from one of the “Tombs of the Queens”. Bourne’s own correspondence records this trip to Luxor as well as other trips around Cairo and to the Pyramids, Saqqara and the Cairo Museum. At the Cairo Museum sale room he acquired several artefacts, including a Roman lamp, two Roman coins, a bronze arrowhead and a shabti. He also acquired several replica artefacts at Luxor along with natural and ethnographic souvenirs and a piece of alabaster from the Mosque of Muhammad Ali in Cairo. This alabaster pyramidion, along with a print of the Shellal Mosaic, were donated to the Queensland Museum in 1964. The pyramidion was described as from the Valley of the Queens at Luxor in the Queensland Museum files, an identification which is incorrect based on the contemporary documents and has now been updated. The whereabouts of the rest of Bourne’s collection are unknown, presumed lost in a housefire that destroyed his home soon after his death.

In May 1915 Bourne was with the 2nd Light Horse when it landed at Gallipoli. Here the unit spent most of its time in support of the forward positions at Quinn’s Post and Pope’s Hill. They suffered terribly from snipers and bomb attacks due to the exposed conditions. Bourne himself lost his Batman, wounded, days after their arrival. The unit was present for the major attack on 19 May, and the subsequent armistice on 24 May, and helped to repulse the major Ottoman offensive on Walker Ridge on 29-30 June. In early August Bourne was in temporary command of the 2nd Light Horse at Quinn’s Post where a major offensive was planned for 7 August. After losing almost all of his first wave in the attack, Bourne was responsible for stopping the subsequent three waves from attacking and is credited with saving the lives of many of his troops. The decision was later endorsed by higher command. For the remainder of August 1915 the 2nd Light Horse garrisoned Pope’s Hill.

In late September 1915 Bourne was evacuated sick from Gallipoli to Mudros and then on to London, suffering Pyrexia (fever) and Diarrhoea. Sickness was rife at Gallipoli, particularly as the year progressed, due to the lack of fresh supplies and water, and hordes of flies that settled on every surface. By February 1916 Bourne had recovered and returned to duty with the 2nd Light Horse in March, patrolling the desert fringe in southern Egypt. He spent a short time as temporary commander of the 3rd Light Horse Regiment in the Sinai Canal Zone in May and June before rejoining the 2nd Light Horse in late June, now stationed at Romani in western Sinai. During June and July the regiment undertook numerous long patrols into Sinai, scouting for Ottoman troop movements and an expected offensive. In July, Bourne was made a temporary Lt. Col. and placed in command of the 2nd Light Horse Regiment as Lt. Col. Barlow was invalided sick to Cairo.

In the first days of August 1916 Bourne was in command of the 2nd Light Horse Regiment at Katia, east of Romani and on 3 August the unit was involved in the major victory at the Battle of Romani when Ottoman forces mounted an offensive against the Allies in Sinai. For his leadership during the battle, Bourne was Mentioned in Despatches and awarded the DSO, his commendation reading: “for conspicuous gallantry in action. He held the outpost line against heavy odds for four hours and then gradually and skilfully withdrew. A few days later he held the extreme flank with great determination at a critical time.” In September, Bourne was granted the substantive rank of Lt. Col. And confirmed in command of the 2nd Light Horse. During this month the unit undertook patrols from Romani, continuing to probe for Ottoman garrisons and advances in the wake of the Battle of Romani. By the end of the month the unit was retired to Hill 70 near Kantara for a period of rest, not returning to the line until mid-November when they moved to the area around Hod el-Ge'eila and Bir el-Abd and took part in the Battles of Maghdaba and Rafa.

In the week following the Battle of Rafa in January 1917, Bourne was evacuated sick to Cairo for an operation on a Hernia with the 14th Australian General Hospital. He rejoined the unit in mid-March, then at Hill 200 near el-Arish, where they continued to perform patrols in advance of the first Battle of Gaza. There followed a period of intense activity for Bourne and the 2nd Light Horse Regiment. They participated in the second battle of Gaza (April), Battle of Beersheba (October), and the third Battle of Gaza (November) where the city was finally taken. Following the fall of Gaza, the Regiment also participated in the rapid advance toward Jerusalem, in pursuit of Ottoman forces, including both the Battle of Mughar Ridge, and the advance on Jerusalem.

At the end of 1917 Bourne was again admitted to hospital with Pterygium (overgrowth of the conjunctiva) and after a period of convalescence re-joined his unit in January 1918. He was immediately sent to command the 1st Light Horse Brigade for a week. Bourne re-joined the 2nd Light Horse in time to command them during the Battle of Jericho and after a stint of special duty in Cairo early in March 1918, led the unit in the 1st Battle of Amman and the raid on es-Salt in early May. When not on operations, the 2nd Light Horse was then stationed at Bethlehem and had the opportunity to visit Jerusalem, captured the previous December, and visit the sights there. The unit remained most of 1918 around Jerusalem, garrisoning the front line against possible Ottoman counterattacks. During this time Bourne spent several short stints in command of the 1st Light Horse Battalion (May, July/August). In late August 1918 Bourne contracted Malaria and spent a month in Hospital in Cairo, followed by a period of two weeks leave. In this time the Armistice was signed with the Ottoman empire and hostilities ceased in the eastern theatres. Following his return to duty in October 1918, Bourne again temporarily commanded the 1st Light Horse Brigade from 9 November to 11 December 1918. In March 1919 the 2nd Light Horse Regiment embarked on HT Ulimaroa from Kantara, bound for Australia. Bourne’s appointment was terminated in late June 1919. He was awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and DSO for his service.

After the war Bourne rejoined the Bank of New South Wales in Brisbane from 1921-4. On 24 April 1924 he married Frances Blanche McConnel. The couple went on to have three sons. Bourne continued a career with the Bank of New South Wales as manager at Tamworth, Christchurch (New Zealand), and Rockhampton. He retired in 1946 and died 8 March 1959 in Brisbane. He is buried in Lutwyche Cemetery, plot ANZAC-9-4-14. Frances died on 11 October 1982 and is buried beside him.

Rank

Lieutenant Colonel

Occupation

2nd Australian Light Horse Regiment
1st Australian Light Horse Brigade
3rd Australian Light Horse Regiment

Birth Date

21/11/1881

Death Date

8/03/1959

Files

Major Bourne, one of the soldiers photographed in The Queenslander Pictorial, supplement to The Queenslander, 1914..jpg

Citation

“Lieutenant Colonel George Herbert Bourne,” First World War Antiquities, accessed March 29, 2024, https://ww1antiquities.omeka.net/items/show/220.

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