RAINGER, George Harold

George was born in 1894 at Tamworth NSW to Charles and Rosa Rainger. He enlisted at Inverell in December 1915 and at the time was a Farmer at Little Plain, west of Inverell.  George had been a member of the Little Plain Rifle Club for two years and before he left home he was given a farewell presentation of an inscribed gold medal by club members.

He joined with 113 other district men known as the First Contingent of The Kurrajongs who left Inverell together on 12 January 1916.  They travelled by train through Warialda Rail and then Moree before arriving at the Narrabri camp. At the end of January these men were transferred to the Armidale camp.  George became a member of the 33rd Battalion, A Company which trained at Armidale and Rutherford prior to sailing from Australia on HMAT A74 Marathon on 4 May 1916.  After nine weeks at sea the Battalion arrived in England where further training took place at Salisbury Plain before they were sent to France in November.

During September 1917 George was appointed Lance Corporal however only a few weeks later he was invalided back to England and admitted to 1st East General Hospital, Cambridge with a severe gunshot wound to his leg. Almost a year later he returned to France until the end of the war. 

George returned to Australia in May 1919 and was warmly welcomed by his friends who presented him with a gold inscribed medal.  In 1922 he married Ellen Halls at Inverell and they lived on their property Glencairn at Little Plain.  George died in 1970 at Inverell.

Lance Corporal Rainger is remembered at Inverell where his name is inscribed on the town’s Honor Roll.  His name is also on the Little PLain Honor Roll and at Delungra his name is recorded on the new memorial gates at Anzac Park. 

Photo: courtesy IDFHG Inc and the Ranger family