Name
George Gentle
5 September 1885
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
03/07/1916
30
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Sapper
87799
Royal Engineers
117th Railway Company
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
SALONIKA (LEMBET ROAD) MILITARY CEMETERY
188
Greece
Headstone Inscription
BLESSED ARE THEY THAT REST IN THE LORD
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial, Holy Saviour Church War Memorial, Radcliffe Rd., Hitchin, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour, Hitchin, St Faith's Church War Memorial, Walsworth, Baldock Town Memorial, St Mary the Virgin Church Memorial, Baldock
Pre War
George Gentle was born in 1885 in Baldock, the son of George and Elizabeth Gentle (nee Castle)and one of eleven children, although two died in infancy. He was baptised on 4 October 1885 in Baldock.
On the 1891 Census the family were living at Norton End, Baldock, where his father was working as a platelayer. At that time he had three sisters, Ellen, Florence and Alice and three brothers Willie, Johnny and George. His grandfather, Jacob Castle, was also living with them. They remained at the same address in 1901 and George was then working as a bricklayer's labourer. At that time he was the oldest child still living at home, and was joined by sisters Alice and Rose and brother Oswald.
George married Lizzie Chalkley in 1906 and and on the 1911 Census, George and Lizzie were living at Turnpike, Royston Road, Baldock, Herts, with their three children, George (b.27/10/1906), Doris (b.7/11/1907) and Frances (b.2/9/1909), and George was working as a labourer for a maltsters. They had another child Phyllis on 20 January 1914.
Wartime Service
George enlisted in London and joined the Royal Engineers, with the Service Number 87799. He served with the 117th Railway Company as a Sapper and was sent to Egypt, arriving on 15 September 1915 and then on to Salonika. He suffered from heat stroke and later died of malaria in the 29th General Hospital in Salonika on 3 July 1916. He is buried in Salonika (Lembet Rd) Military Cemetery, Greece.
Additional Information
His widow received a war gratuity of £4 10s and pay owing of £3 14s 11d. She also received a pension of £1 2s 6d a week for herself and her four children. which was later increased to £1 8s 9d a week. She was then living at Ivy Cottage, Orchard Road, Walsworth, Hitchin.
Lizzie remarried on 16 February 1918, to Arthur Watson, a railway platelayer and then received a re-marriage gratuity of £35 7s 2d, with a reduced pension paid to her for the children until they were 16.
Brother to Oswald Gentle MM who served with the 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment and was killed in action in 1917 during the Third Battle of Ypres.
N.B. Not to be confused with 20074 George Gentle of Baldock, who served and survived.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Adrian Dunne, Adrian Pitts, David C Baines, Jonty Wild
