Name
George Sidney Carter (MC)
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
28/11/1917
19
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Second Lieutenant
East Surrey Regiment
"A" Company. 9th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Military Cross
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
ST. SEVER CEMETERY, ROUEN
B.3.19.
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Stevenage Old Town Memorial, St Nicholas' Church Memorial, Stevenage Old Town, Holy Trinity Church Memorial Roll of Honour, Stevenage Old Town, Not on the Weston memorials
Pre War
George Carter was born in the village of Weston, Hertfordshire, on the 16th May 1898, the youngest son of John & Clara Carter.
After completing his education George became a Gardner by occupation until the onset of war.
Wartime Service
On the 8th September 1914 George Carter, who was now living at 3 Huntingdon Road, Stevenage was attested at Hitchin for service in the Bedfordshire Regiment. He was then aged 16 but gave his age as 19 in order to enter the Army. This small matter appears to have been of no consequence to the recruiting officer and he was whisked off for a period of basic training. Once his training was complete George was transferred, on the 31st October 1914, to the 11th East Surrey Regiment. Then, on 25th August 1915 he was transferred to the 8th Battalion of the East Surrey Rifles and the following day left for service in France. He remained in France until the 28th January 1916 when he was shipped home. There is no explanation for this but it is possible that his true age had been discovered.
George remained in England throughout the spring of 1916 until the 28th August when he was posted to the 2nd Battalion of the East Surrey Rifles. The Battalion was serving in Salonika at the time and George remained with them until January 1917 when he returned home to undertake a commission. After returning to England he was accepted at No.19 Officer Cadet Battalion in Purbright on the 15th March 1917 and arrived at Kingston station to begin his new career. After the completion of his training George was posted to the 9th Battalion of the East Surrey Rifles and returned to France on the 25th August 1917.
On the 20th November 1917 the Battalion was situated 2000 yards West of Bellicourt, mid-way between Cambrai and St Quentin, when a trench raiding party was organised. The objective was for the raiding party to capture or kill any enemy troops in the front line and blow in any dugouts that were situated in a sunken road just beyond the front line. There were five parties and George Carter led No.1 party, which contained six other ranks. At 6.30am they set off at the Eastern end of a trench known as Fish Lane to enter the enemy front line and 90 seconds later they were at the entrance to the enemy trenches, where they encountered a coil of concertina wire. George Carter cut a gap through the wire and as he did so two German’s threw several grenades towards the party, which killed one of the raiders and wounded George, his senior NCO, Sergeant Bell, and a Private. At this point two other Privates, Mortimer and Bell picked up George Carter and, under enemy fire, carried him back to the British trenches.
Sergeant Bell, although wounded, then attacked the German grenade throwers with his own grenades and killed them both. He then returned to the parties and reorganised them to continue the raid but was ordered to withdraw. The Battalion Commander, Major Thomas Hutchinson Sabine Swanton, believed that the raiders might have been spotted as they assembled for the attack and commended all those involved for their efforts. Three of the raiders, Lance Corporal Henry Millard, Private Frederick Prested and Private James Hunt were all killed during the action. George Carter was evacuated to No.13 Field Ambulance with multiple wounds and later transferred to No.8 General Hospital in Rouen. George died from the effects of his wounds at 2am on the 28th November 1917. The officer commanding the hospital handed his effects to his mother. He was awarded the Military Cross on 25th April 1918 and the citation in the London Gazette read, “For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during a raid. Whilst cutting the wire on an enemy parapet a bomb very seriously wounded him. Although completely crippled he continued to cheer on his men till he saw that they had entered the enemy trench”.
George Carter is buried in the St.Sever Cemetery, Rouen, France.
Additional Information
George is commemorated on his father’s headstone in Stevenage (St. Nicholas) Churchyard, his part of the inscription reads:
THIS HIS SON
LIEUT. GEORGE S. CARTER
THE xxx?
WHO DIED NOVEMBER 28TH 1917
Xx?
Acknowledgments
Paul Johnson
