LevelItem
Finding NoWL/6/35
Extent17 pieces
TitleResearch file number 801 relating to George Thomas Fairley (1895-1962)
Date2018
DescriptionWork completed by volunteer includes the following information

George Fairley was born in Beverley the 22 Jan 1895 but spent much of his later life in Hull. He was baptised at Beverley Minster on 11 Feb 1895, the family home was in Flemingate and then later Elizabeth Place, Lurk Lane. George’s parents were John Fairley, originally from Weaverthorpe, and Ann Fairley (nee Smith), born locally, they married at Beverley Minster in 1887. George was one of six children. John was a general labourer and in the 1911 census was recorded as being out of work. Nothing is known of George’s education or early life.

George enlisted early in the war, joining the 11th Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment, the 2nd Hull Pals Battalion, often referred to as “the Tradesmen” but it is not known in which particular trade (if any) George was involved. Whilst serving as a private he married Edith Pickering of Hull, daughter of a bricklayer, on 12 Jun 1915 at St Thomas’ Church in Hull. They had no children.

George left for Egypt with the 11th for guard duties along the Suez Canal in Dec 1915 but in Mar 1916 the 11th were reassigned to the Western Front and were to serve on the Somme in 1916 and at Arras in 1917. In Nov 1916 they were involved in the action at Serre and then on 3 May 1917 at Oppy Wood losing 63 men. The 11th later served at Vimy Ridge. George switched to the Machine Gun Corps as a gunner. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star and the War and Victory Medals. After the war he signed for regular service with the East Yorkshires and served in Iraq in 1919 and 1920 for which he was awarded the General Service Medal (with the Iraq clasp).

Later George largely worked as a dock labourer in Hull. On 11 Nov 1923 he married Ellen Sissons, widow, at St John, Newington. The marriage, however, was a bigamous one and at York Assizes in December 1923 George was sentenced to five months imprisonment with an extra two months for claiming unemployment pay for his “new wife.” The marriage was annulled and the couple legally remarried in 1938. By this time they had a son Albert. George served in the RAF at this time as an airman in 942 Squadron. The family later moved to the Bradford area where George died in early 1962, aged 67.

Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers
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