| Regimental number | 4167 |
| Place of birth | South Melbourne, Victoria |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Occupation | Labourer |
| Address | 128 Napier Street, South Melbourne, Victoria |
| Marital status | Single |
| Age at embarkation | 23 |
| Height | 5' 4" |
| Weight | 112 lbs |
| Next of kin | Father, Mr M. Cain, Faussett Street, Albert Park, Victoria |
| Previous military service | Nil |
| Enlistment date | |
| Place of enlistment | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Rank on enlistment | Private |
| Unit name | 7th Battalion, 13th Reinforcement |
| AWM Embarkation Roll number | 23/24/4 |
| Embarkation details | Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A64 Demosthenes on |
| Rank from Nominal Roll | Private |
| Unit from Nominal Roll | 7th Battalion |
| Other details from Roll of Honour Circular | Enlisted 20 July 1915 - 7th Bn 13th Reinforcements; taken on strength 7th Bn 18 March 1916. |
| Fate | Killed in Action |
| Place of death or wounding | Pozieres, Somme Sector, France |
| Age at death | 24 |
| Place of burial | No known grave |
| Commemoration details | Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, France Villers-Bretonneux is a village about 15 km east of Amiens. The Memorial stands on the high ground ('Hill 104') behind the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, Fouilloy, which is about 2 km north of Villers-Bretonneux on the east side of the road to Fouilloy. The Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux is approached through the Military Cemetery, at the end of which is an open grass lawn which leads into a three-sided court. The two pavilions on the left and right are linked by the north and south walls to the back (east) wall, from which rises the focal point of the Memorial, a 105 foot tall tower, of fine ashlar. A staircase leads to an observation platform, 64 feet above the ground, from which further staircases lead to an observation room. This room contains a circular stone tablet with bronze pointers indicating the Somme villages whose names have become synonymous with battles of the Great War; other battle fields in France and Belgium in which Australians fought; and far beyond, Gallipoli and Canberra. On the three walls, which are faced with Portland stone, are the names of 10,885 Australians who were killed in France and who have no known grave. The 'blocking course' above them bears the names of the Australian Battle Honours. After the war an appeal in Australia raised £22,700, of which £12,500 came from Victorian school children, with the request that the majority of the funds be used to build a new school in Villers-Bretonneux. The boys' school opened in May 1927, and contains an inscription stating that the school was the gift of Victorian schoolchildren, twelve hundred of whose fathers are buried in the Villers-Bretonneux cemetery, with the names of many more recorded on the Memorial. Villers-Bretonneux is now twinned with Robinvale, Victoria, which has in its main square a memorial to the links between the two towns. |
| Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial | 49 |
| Other details |
War service: Western Front Taken on strength of 7th Bn, Serapeum, 18 March 1916. Embarked Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force, 26 March 1916; disembarked Marseilles, France, 31 March 1916. Posted as missing in action, between 22 and 25 July 1916. Court of Enquiry, held in the field, 16 June 1917, pronounces fate as 'Killed in Action, between 22 and 25 July 1916'. Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal |
| Sources | NAA: B2455, CAIN George Phillip |
Postal Address:
Po Box 7916
Canberra BC 2610, Australia
Street Address:
Northcott Drive,
Campbell, ACT 2600
