| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
George Nelson Norris was born in Beverley the 11 Aug 1896, the ninth and youngest child of Henry Norris, a shoemaker, and his wife Eliza Ann (nee Nelson). The Norris family lived at various addresses in Beverley before they eventually settled at 11 Dyer Lane. George's six sisters were Annie, Florence, Ethel, Lilly, Minnie (who died an infant) and Mabel. His two brothers, Herbert and Ernest, both emigrated to Canada and served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the Great War.
George attended Beverley Wesleyan School. Until early 1915 he was employed as a driller at the Beverley shipbuilding firm of Cook, Welton and Gemmell. He became Pioneer 62180 in the 12th Signal Company of the Royal Engineers when he enlisted on 7 Jan 1915. The Royal Engineers requested a statement of his competence from George's employers, who responded: “He is a good workman”. His medal card states he disembarked in Egypt on 4 Sep 1915 and the Beverley Guardian later reported Pioneer Norris had served in the Dardanelles. He transferred to the Western Front and on 31 Jul 1916 was posted to the Royal Engineers Base Depot, Abbeville, Somme, France. From Aug 1918 he served with the 57th Signal Company, Royal Engineers. George was discharged to 'Z' Reserve on 26 Mar 1919 and returned safely home to live with his widowed mother in Dyer Lane. He was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
After the War, George kept a general dealer's shop in Walkergate. He never married.
On 11 Oct 1972 George went missing and was dicovered a week later having drowned in Beverley beck.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |