51st Battalion Lieutenant George Montgomery Rennie Wylie

Born in Dollar, Scotland, George came to WA where he bought a magnificent 1500-acre property, ‘Broadlands’, four miles from York, and farmed sheep.

In 1911 he married Veronica Scanlan and, with plans of moving to England, sold Broadlands. After a few years as a publican in Geraldton, it became clear his plans to relocate never eventuated, and he and Veronica returned to Perth where they lived at 158 Colin Street, West Perth.

George was 28 years old on enlistment on 27 October 1915, and assigned as a private to the 11th Battalion. Having already completed his training he embarked just six days later, on 2 November, for Egypt. There, he was promoted to lance corporal in January 1916. At Tel-el-Kebir in May, however, he failed to report another man as being absent, as was his duty. He was stripped of his stripes and transferred for a fortnight to the 13th Training Battalion.

In July 1916 George was deployed to France and was wounded in action on 22 October. He received a gunshot wound to his right ear but rejoined his unit in the field the next day. He was rewarded by reappointment as a lance corporal on 1 November, corporal on 14 December and, a week later, sergeant.

On 2 April 1917 he was wounded in action for the second time, at Noreuil, in the battalion's attempt to capture the high ground. This time he was classified ‘severe’ with gunshot wounds to his thighs and back. He was transferred via HS St Dennis from Boulogne to England where he was admitted to Cambridge Hospital.

He recovered, and after a brief furlough in May, reported to Perham Downs. There, on 22 June, he had charge of six accused soldiers, which he inexplicably allowed to escape. Instead of being stripped of his rank a second time, he was severely reprimanded by Lieutenant Colonel Knox a few days later.

Still in England in February 1918 George contracted influenza, but recovered and returned to France in May 1918, where he stayed for another four months after the armistice was signed.

Unlike most of the troops clamouring for demobilisation, George didn’t seem in any hurry to return home. In March 1919 he applied for and was granted three months’ leave to go farming in Dongelly, Wales, after which he returned to his unit in England in June. It wasn’t until 16 November he arrived back in Australia per Pakeha, and he was discharged on 25 January 1920.

It’s then we are given a glimpse of why he seemed to be in no hurry to return. Uncontested divorce proceedings from 1924 explain Veronica had disappeared while George had been at war. He’d tracked her to Sydney, from where she had claimed his wartime pay. George returned to Geraldton alone, where he owned and managed the Railway Hotel, and over the next few years spent all his available funds trying to find her, without success.

Granted his decree nisi, in 1925 he married Alma Scott. He left the hotel business and, together, they moved further south to the Peel Estate where he resumed farming.

It appears their relationship may have later dissolved as, though electoral records show them residing together at Peel in 1937, he placed no death notices for Alma when she died, aged 54, on 1 September 1940. More, those placed by her family make no mention of him at all and, in the few remaining months of that year, George married for a third time to Peggy Weeks - an eye-popping 31 years younger than George.

Peggy and George moved to South Perth, and then St James, where they were together until at least 1968. George then died on Christmas Eve in 1970, aged 83. With his most recent residence listed as Dalkeith, it’s likely he spent his last few years at Sunset Hospital. 

https://www.thesoldiersofbarrackstreet.com/lieutenant-wylie-george-montgomery-rennie-51st-battalion?rq=wylie