Branch of Service

Army

Conflict

World War I (1914-1918)

Date of Enlistment

24/10/1915

Date of Discharge

09/08/1919

Place of Enlistment

Goulburn NSW

Gender

Male

Place of Birth

Breadalbane NSW

Address (at enlistment)

George Street, Oaks Estate ACT

Occupation

Grocer

Next of Kin

George Lineham (father), George Street, Oaks Estate ACT

Service Number

5406

Final Rank

Warrant Officer 2

Final Unit

53 Battalion AIF

Queanbeyan RSL Wall of Remembrance, Crawford St, Queanbeyan NSW
Roll of Honor Queanbeyan Public School, Isabella Street, Queanbeyan NSW
Roll of Honour at St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church, Lowe Street, Queanbeyan NSW

Military Medal. The citation says: "In the attack on Peronne on 1/9/18 this N.C.O. showed great dash and most conspicuous courage and coolness, when his Platoon Commander and a number of his platoon became casualties he at once rallied and reorganised the men and assumed command of the platoon leading them with great skill and determination to their objective. Later he performed most useful work and greatly assisted his Company Commander in the final consolidation. He also performed splendid work when in charge of patrols linking up his company with the Battalion on our right. During the whole of the operation this N.C.O's devotion to duty and utter disregard of personal danger inspired his men with the greatest confidence and helped considerably in the gaining of the objective".

Lineham's surname has also been spelt in various sources as 'Lynham' or 'Lyneham'. He lived in Oaks Estate near the railway station and worked for PC Hill & Son, a store in Queanbeyan. Lineham served with the 53rd Battalion in France and Belgium from the end of July 1916. After being promoted to Sergeant, he endured the winter of 1916/17 in the Somme trenches near Gueudecourt and took part in the Second Battle of Bullecourt in May 1917 after which he was hospitalised with trench fever. He received a shrapnel wound to his abdomen in October 1917 near Polygon Wood in Belgium and was promoted to Warrant Officer Class 2 in July 1918. He was awarded the Military Medal for his actions during the attack on Peronne on 1 September 1918. Lineham returned to Australia in June 1919 and was discharged on 9 August 1919. After the war he was a partner in Morton and Lineham's store in Queanbeyan before becoming manager of J.B. Young's Civic store in 1930. During the 1940s he and his family moved to Canberra living at Reid and then Braddon. Lineham retired in January 1959 as manager of J.B. Young's Civic store and when he died on 29 May 1971 in Canberra when he was living at the Sir Leslie Morshead War Veterans' Home in Lyneham. Lineham was cremated at Norwood Park.

Description - height 5 feet 4 inches, weight 120 pounds, chest 33 inches, dark complexion, hazel eyes, black hair, Presbyterian.

Rex Cross, 'Bygone Queanbeyan', 1980
Our Queanbeyan 'Boys', Howard & Shearsby, Yass (postcard)
Queanbeyan Age - 28 March 1916, 5 March 1918, 25 November 1919
The Canberra Times - 23 May 1956, 30 January 1959, 31 May 1971
ACT Electoral Rolls - 1945, 1947
NAA RecordSearch - Series B2455 (First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920)