Private. 14th Battalion, York and Lancaster (2nd Barnsley) Regiment. Service no. 235134.
Early life:
George was born in Oakworth in 1892, his birth being registered in Keighley in the third quarter of the year. Parents Charles and Sarah. Before George was born they lived at 3, Lower Providence in Oakworth.
By 1901 George was nine and he had moved to 24, Crag Road in Shipley with his parents, two brothers and a sister and his father Charles was a general blacksmith and had been a blacksmith in Oakworth for many years. In 1911 George was eighteen years old and living at 3, Jane Hills in Shipley with parents and three brothers. His father was a blacksmith for a quarryman and George was a colour dyer, probably at one of the Saltaire or Shipley textile mills nearby. On November 27, 1915 George was twenty three and still living at Jane Hills when he married twenty two year old Esther Alice Calvert of 11, John Street in Baildon, at St Pauls parish church on Kirkgate in Shipley. George was still working as a dyer’s labourer. George and Esther had a son William, born on April 24, 1916.
War service:
George attested at Shipley for the York and Lancaster Regiment on December 10, 1915 with the regimental number 6200. He was twenty three years and 184 days old at the time and was living at 7, Springcliffe Street, off Green Lane in Baildon. He was placed in the Army Reserve until he was moblized to Halifax on September 13, 1916 for the start of his Army training. George was admitted to the Bradford War Hospital on January 23, 1917 with pneumonia and was discharged from the hospital on January 15. He embarked from Folkestone on February 27, 1917 and landed in Boulogne the next day. He was posted to the 34th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples and allocated the regimental number 235134. On March 18 he was posted to the 14th Battalion York and Lancaster (2nd Barnsley) Regiment at Etaples and joined his battalion in the field the next day. He was killed in action on June 30, 1917 having served one year and 202 days. He was never found. Named on the Arras memorial at Fauborg D’Amiens Cemetery at Arras in France.
War diary extract for the 14th Battalion York and Lancaster (2nd Barnsley) Regt. June 1917:
In the Field.
June 26.
At night the battalion moved up into the trenches and in conjunction with the 12th York and Lancs relieved the 11th East Yorks Regt.
June 27.
The battalion made final preparations prior to the attack. Situation normal. Casualties: 4 killed, 13 wounded.
June 28.
The 94th Brigade in conjunction with troops of the 5th Division on the left carried out offensive operations at 7.10 pm. The attack was entirely successful and resulted in the capture of the enemy front line from the GAVRELLE WINDMILL to OPPY. Casualties were slight in taking the objective.
June 29th.
The enemy heavily shelled our new position especially the GAVRELLE WINDMILL and registered on various new trench junctions, but did not attempt any counter attacks. Casualties 12 killed, 45 wounded, 7 missing. Consolidation was continued.
Post war:
Esther received £3 11s 18d of George’s back pay on July 25, 1917 and a £3 war gratuity payment on November 12, 1919. At that time she was living at 11, John Street on Woodbottom in Baildon. She would also receive his personal effects, his medal and memorial plaque and scroll after the war when she later lived at 9, George Street at Woodbottom in Baildon.
George was posthumously awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal for his war service.
He is remembered on Shipley War Memorial and Baildon War Memorial.
[Photo by kind permission of www.shipleyww1.org.uk]
