| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
George was born in Beverley the 23 Mar 1898 and he was baptised at St Mary’s Church on 28 Sep 1898, the son of Charles Arthur Wilson and Frances Annie (nee Hoggard). Both of his parents were from Driffield but had married at Beverley Minster in 1895. George’s father had been a corn miller but then spent the years 1891-96 in the army; upon leaving them he became a house painter. Later in his life he was the caretaker at the Marble Arch cinema on Toll Gavel. George was brought up in Hobson’s yard and then at 6 Spencer Street. He was a member of the Beverley Church Lads’ Brigade from 1913 to 1914. He became an errand boy for an ironmonger but later became a shipyard worker, a plater’s helper.
Many of George’s wartime service documents exist but are in a very poor condition and almost illegible. He enlisted on 4 Jan 1915 and joined the 5th Yorkshire Regiment Territorial Force. Given his age he wasn’t called up for training until 1917. He served as a private in the 7th Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment (50th Brigade, 17th Division). He arrived in France on 19 Oct 1917 and was immediately thrust into battle at Cambrai. He was wounded and hospitalised, he returned to the UK in Jan 1918. He had suffered from scabies whilst training and then from trench foot. He remained in the UK with the 4th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment until disembodied in Feb 1919. George was awarded the War and Victory Medals.
George worked at the Beverley shipyard as a “blacksmith striker”. On 19 Apr 1930 he married Marian Wardell at St Nicholas’ Church. They had one child, Joan, in 1931. They lived at 355 Grovehill Road. George died aged 72 in Hull in Feb 1971 and was buried in Queensgate Cemetery, Beverley on 18 Feb 1971. Marian died in 1975.
Includes information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |