#Bridge #Deal #Kent #KIA #Military #WWI
George Henry LAWRENCE was the eldest of eleven children born to John LAWRENCE (1871 – 1956), a Labourer, and Edith Harriet FAGG (1878 – 1936).
John’s ancestors moved from Deal towards Bridge it seems. Edith was born near Ash and her parents lived around that little bit of Kent. They married on 13 October 1894 in Ash when both in their early 20s.
George had three confirmed sisters but sadly two were twins, Annie Jane LAWRENCE (1897 – 1897) and Edith Hilda LAWRENCE (1897 – 1897), who sadly both died in their first year of life. Winifred Marjorie LAWRENCE (1913 – 1992) lived into her 70s though having married and had two children.
His confirmed brothers are Joseph Daniel LAWRENCE (1899 – 1975), Albert John LAWRENCE (1901 – 1969), Frederick Thomas LAWRENCE (1905 – 1971), William LAWRENCE (1908 – 1987), Percy William J. LAWRENCE (1909 – 1996), John R. LAWRENCE (1916 – 1953) and Raymond Victor LAWRENCE (1917 – 1997). The youngest two being born after he had passed away.
In the 1891 Census George’s then 17-year-old father is living with his parents in Womenswold and working as an Agricultural Labourer. His mother, aged 12, is with her family in Ash. She does not have an occupation, although younger siblings are scholars, so it is most likely that she worked around the property with her mother. They are in Lower Weddington which appears to be just north of Ash centre.
They have then met and married before giving birth to George six months later. His birth was registered Q2 1895 in Eastry District as Henry George Lawrence. However, he was baptised on 07 April 1895 as George Henry Lawrence and seems to have been known as that all his life. This was in Ash-next-Sandwich, Kent, England.
Must have been a sad family for his early life as the twin girls were born but didn’t survive. Edith and Annie were baptised on 10 February 1897 with the former’s death being registered by 31 March 1897 and the latter by 31 December 1897.
In 1901 it seems that they are living in Cooper Street, Ash so haven’t moved very far at all. George and his brother Joseph seem to have been elsewhere on 31 March 1901 as only the parents and an infant Lawrence are listed. The baby (Albert) is 3 weeks old. Cannot find a record for the two boys at this point but most likely staying with family nearby.
Have only traced baptismal records for five of the oldest six children with the latest being February 1906. It appears they moved to Wingham after this date per the 1911 Census. George is an Agricultural Labourer at age 16. Think it is W A J Company that has employed him. His father is now working in the Coal industry instead of Agriculture and his mother is fruit picking. The eight of them are living in five rooms.
Regarding George’s military career we know he enlisted in Canterbury, Kent presumably around August 1914. They trained at Purfleet, Essex and Aldershot, Hampshire. The last few days of May 1915 they proceeded to Boulogne, France and then joined front line on 23 June 1915. They were in action at Battle of Loos from 30 September 1915.
His regimental number was G/430 and he was a Private in 6th Battalion of The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) 1 when he was killed in action on 13 October 1915 2 as part of the Western European Theatre of War. He was in a place called Hulluch Quarry as there is a description of the actions in that location of the 37th Infantry Brigade led by 7th Battalion East Surrey Regiment and the 6th Battalion of The Buffs (East Kent) Regiment on that date.
The East Surrey section advanced and cleared their area of Gun Trench but unfortunately the Buffs were unable to advance on their objective in the face of heavy machine gun fire. George is commemorated on the Loos Memorial 3 in Pas-de-Calais, France.
It is likely he was awarded the 1914/15 Star, the Victory Medal and the British War Medal. On 25 April 1917 his mother was awarded £2 13s 6d (his salary?) and then another £4 War Gratuity on 02 October 1919.
I think he was the only one serving as his other brothers were too young. His parents had two more sons after his death and seems the rest survived into adulthood. His mother passed away in 1936, aged 59, but his father not for another 20 years, aged 85. Most of the family seems to have stayed in Kent with only a couple of the siblings moving further afield.
George Henry LAWRENCE was a 2C 4R on his paternal line. Nearest shared ancestors are my 5x Great Grandparents John LAWRENCE (1795 – 1843) and Angela BOWLES (1799 – 1872).
Footnotes –
Most research undertaken using Ancestry, FreeBMD and Google Maps. Additional resources listed below if utilised.
- Wartimes Memories Project – https://wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/allied/battalion.php?pid=475 ↩︎
- Forces War Records –
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/records/1684186/private-george-henry-lawrence-british-army-buffs-east-kent-regiment/ ↩︎ - Commonwealth War Graves Commission [CWGC] – https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/733900/george-henry-lawrence/ ↩︎