Name
George Frank Gurney
1897
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
29/04/1917
20
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
31982
Bedfordshire Regiment
6th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
SUNKEN ROAD CEMETERY, FAMPOUX
I. E. 22.
France
Headstone Inscription
No Report
UK & Other Memorials
Memorial Plaque, St Lawrence Church, Bovingdon, Memorial Plaque, Memorial Hall, Bovingdon, John Dickinson & Co Memorial, Apsley Mills, Apsley, Not on the Tring memorials
Pre War
George Frank Gurney (known as Frank) was born in 1897 in Buckland, Tring, Buckinghamshire, the son of Thomas and Susan Gurney, and one of nine children.
On the 1901 Census the family of parents, Thomas William (born 1894), George Frank, Enoch (born 1898) and John (born 1900) were living at Church Row, Buckland, Buckinghamshire where his father was working as a Stockman on a farm.
They moved to Bovingdon before George's sister Meryl was born in 1903 and on the 1911 Census the family of parents, Thomas, Frank, Herbert John, Joseph (born 1900), Ralph (born 1902), Meryl , Alfred (born 1906), Henry (born 1908) and Eleanor (born 1910) were living in Lane Farm Cottages, Bovingdon and later lived at Church Street, Bovingdon.
Wartime Service
Frank enlisted at Bedford as Private 31982 in the Bedfordshire Regiment. and joined the 6th Battalion as part of 112 Brigade 37 Division. Which had been if France since Aug 1915. They fought in the late Battle of Ancre ( 13-18 Nov 1916), and were engaged in the Battles of Arras (1917) at 1st Battle of the Scarpe (9-14 Apr), 2nd Battle of the Scarpe (23- 24 Apr) and Battle of Arleux.( 28-29 Apr).
Frank was killed in action at the Battle of Arleux (part of the Battle of Arras) on 29 April 1917, aged 20 (CWGC Grave Registration has death as 23 Apr) .The Battalion had assembled for the attack on Greenland Hill at dawn on the 28th. The objective was almost achieved and they dug in where could but were caught in enfilade fire from the chemical works and suffered heavy casualties. Frank was one of 40 soldiers from the 6th Battalion who died on 28 or 29 April. He is buried in Sunken Road Cemetery, Fampoux.
Additional Information
His father received a war gratuity of £3 and pay owing of £5 13s 9d. A pension application was refused,
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer, Neil Cooper
Malcolm Lennox, Dick West, www.bedfordregiment.org.uk
