Name
George Squires
1878
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
16/08/1917
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Corporal
27854
Bedfordshire Regiment
7th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
TYNE COT CEMETERY
XLV. E. 2.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial, St Mary's Church Memorial, Hemel Hempstead, John Dickinson & Co Memorial, Apsley Mills, Apsley
Pre War
George Squires was born in Thame, Oxfordshire in 1878, the son of Benjamin and Emma Squires, and one of six children. They also fostered Charles Holtom.
On the 1881 Census the family were living at 36 Park Street, Thame, where his father was working as a Bootmaker. They remained in Thame in 1891 but had moved to 17 Park Street with his father continued to work as a Bootmaker and 12 year old George working as an Errand Boy.
By 1901 George had left the family home and was a boarder at the home of Stewart and Rhoda Bucknell at Crescent Road, Hemel Hempstead. Both Stewart and George were working as Compositors for the local newspaper, the Hertfordshire, Hemel Hempstead Gazette and West Herts Advertiser.
George had found employment with John Dickinson & Co. at the time of the 1911 Census and was working in the Envelope Department at Apsley Mills. He was then boarding with George Pettit and his family at 46 Cotterell's Road, Hemel Hempstead. George was working for Dickinsons at the time of his enlistment.
His parents continued to live in Thame on both the 1901 and 1911 Censuses.
Wartime Service
George was called up enlisted at Hemel Hempstead in April 1916, joining the Bedfordshire Regiment. He was sent to Felixstowe to train and was posted to the 7th Battalion before being sent to France, probably in October 1916 when the Battalion received a draft of new men.
The battalion was in trenches near Albert for some months before they were involved in the Operations on the Ancre from February 1917 and into March. He then fought in the Third Battle of the Scarpe. In late July they then marched to Ypres in preparation for a major offensive which started on 10 August with the attack and capture of Westhoek. Shortly afterwards George took part in a night attack on an enemy strong point which had to be abandoned due to heavy enemy machine gun fire. The battalion suffered heavy casualties.
George was one of the casualties of that attack and was killed in action on 16 August 1917, aged 39, and is buried at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Belgium.
Additional Information
His mother and father jointly received a war gratuity of £6 10s and pay owing of £12 3s.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild
