Name
George James Smith Billings
1877
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
16/04/1918
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
51654
Lincolnshire Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
TYNE COT MEMORIAL
Panel 35 to 37 and 162 to 162A.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
He has no Headstone. He is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the missing, Belgium.
UK & Other Memorials
Cheshunt Town Memorial, Church of St Mary the Virgin Memorial, Cheshunt
Pre War
George James Smith Billings was born in East Grinstead, Sussex, in 1877, son of Henry Billings, an Agricultural Worker and Mary Ann Billings (nee McNaughton).
George was Baptised in the Parish of Nutley, Sussex, on 2 February 1878.
1881 Census records George aged 3, living with his parents, and brother Montague (1) at, The Great Cottage, East Grinstead, Sussex. The family had a Lodger Thomas Wren (19) an Agricultural Worker.
His father Henry Billings died in 1890 aged 41.
1891 Census records George aged 13, working as a General Labourer, living with his widowed mother and three sisters Lilian (9), Daisy (5), and Mary (2), at, Beck Hall, Sutton, Petworth, Sussex.
His mother Mary Ann Billings died in 1899, aged 43.
1901 Census records George aged 23, working as a Coachman, Boarding with Widow Mary Workman and her Daughter Susie Workman, (his future wife) at 21, Victoria Road, Aldershot, Hants.
George married Susie Ada/Eda Mary Workman, on 4 June 1901, in Farnham, Surrey. They went on to have one son Henry James Billings born in Aldershot, Hants, in 1902.
1911 records George married to Eda, working as a, Coachman, they have one son Henry aged 9, and they were living in Church Lane, Cheshunt, Herts. They had a boarder Robert Borgmann a, Nurseryman from Sweden.
Wartime Service
George travelled to the County town of Hertford to enlist, posted to the Bedfordshire Regiment with the service number 39043. Later transferred to the 1st Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment with the service number 51654. Seeing action on the Western front.
He was reported missing on 16 April 1918 and presumed killed in Action during the Battle of the Lys, (9 to 29 April 1918). He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the missing in Belgium.
Additional Information
Eda received a widow’s pension of 27/1 a week for herself and her son Henry, from 16 December 1918. His effect of £8-4s-5d, was split between his widow and his son Henry, £2-14s-10d to Eda and £5-9s-7d to Henry, this included his War Gratuity.
Acknowledgments
Stuart Osborne
