Rifleman George Frederick Cole
| Date of Birth | c. 1887 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 31 |
| Date of Death | 25 March 1918 |
| Service Number | 653248 |
| Military Service | 1/21st Battalion, London Regiment (First Surrey Rifles) |
| Merton Address | 5 Hawthorn Cottages, Church Street, Mitcham |
| Local Memorial | Mitcham War Memorial |
Additional Information
George Frederick Cole was born in Sawston, Cambridge in 1887. The 1891 Census records the family living at Grange Walk, Bermondsey. Besides Herbert’s mother Ellen and father Samuel, the rest of the family were Robert 5, Alfred 2, Herbert 1, and baby Frank aged 3 months, all of them born in Bermondsey. George was aged 4.
By 1901 the family had moved to Mitcham, and Samuel was now working as a Chamois Leather Worker, for JS Deed and sons, at the Eagle Leather Works. The family lived at 13 Chapel Road, and had grown to include Ernest 8, Arthur 4 and Clara aged 3. George was now 14 and working as a Golf Caddy at the nearby Mitcham Golf Course.
On 26 December 1910 George married local girl Susan Mary Powell at Mitcham Parish Church. George’s occupation was recorded as a Patent Leather Dresser. The couple set up home at 22 Homewood Road, near the family home. By the time of the 1911 Census the couple had their first child, Alfred George. A second child, Frederick was born in 1912.
During the First World War, George enlisted initially with the East Surrey Regiment, transferring to the London Regiment (First Surrey Rifles). This was most probably in 1916 when conscription was extended to married men. He was listed as wounded on 26 Nov 1916, and as such was entitled to wear the Wound Stripe on the left arm of his uniform. Little else is known of his military service, but his battlalion would have seen various actions on the Western Front including Vimy Ridge, Messines and the Third Battle of Ypres.
The German Spring Offensive started on 21 March 1918, and it is probable that George was killed during the first battle of Bapaume (24-25 March 1918). It is reported that the 1st Surrey Rifles were “concentrated at Bazentin Wood on the old Somme battlefield. On 25 March the battalion occupied an old trench and caused heavy casualties to German troops pushing past in the direction of Pozieres. Towards evening the enemy infiltration forced the brigade back once more.”
George is buried at Lebucquire Communal Cemetery Extension, France, and is commemorated locally on the Mitcham War Memorial.
Tragically for the Cole family, George was not the only member to be killed during the First World War. His brothers Herbert Charles and Frank Harold Cole also lost their lives. Their stories are also told on this website.