Name
George T Knight(*1)
26 Jun 1898
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
05/08/1918
19
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
G/65848
Royal Fusiliers
13th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
Panel 6 and 8.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
NA
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour (Book), Hitchin, Letchworth Town Memorial
Pre War
George was born on 26 Jun 1898 in Hitchin and christened on 10 July 1898. His parents were John Knight, and Kate Elizabeth (née Westwood) and they had married on 1 Jun 1891.
In 1901 the family were living at 2 Hope Cottages, Old Park Road, Hitchin. Present were both parents: John (born 1867) and Catherine (Kate) Elizabeth Knight (born 1869), with John working as a brewer’s drayman. Their children were: John Charles (born 1893), Ethel Rose (born 1896) and George . Also present was William Charles Ebbs, who is oddly listed as Kates’s brother, but we are confident that her name before marriage had been Westwood. Perhaps he was brother-in-law or half-sibling. He was working as a carpenter’s apprentice.
George was educated at St. Mary's School.
By 1911 the family were living at Grange Lodge, 108 Queen Street, Hitchin. Kate was now a widow, John had died, probably in late 1901, she was working as a charwoman. The children – John Charles, Ethel Rose and George were still present, with George at school.
Before he enlisted he had been apprenticed to Mr E. Allsopp, hosier, of Market Place, Hitchin, serving in his shop. He had also been a Sunday School Teacher at St. John's Church and was a good gymnast in the Blue Cross Club.
Officially George was recorded as born, living and enlisting in Hitchin.
Wartime Service
No Service record was found for George. He attested on the 28 Jun 1916, it being his 18th birthday in the Bedfordshires with Serial Number 30642, at some time he transferred to 13th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers with the Regimental Number 65848, He went to France on the 22 May 1917 to join the Battalion at Ypres for the forthcoming battle of 3rd Ypres (Passchendaele) and during the Battle of Pilkem (31Jul-2 Aug1917) was killed in action on the 5th Aug 1917. He is said to have been shot by a sniper and died where he fell. His grave was marked with a cross on which had been written his name and Regiment. His grave was probably lost in the later fighting and he is remembered on the Menin Memorial, Ypres.
His mother was Mrs Knight of 8, Old Park Road, Hitchin. Bearing in mind the close connection with Hitchin, if he is not the ‘C. T. Knight’ on the Hitchin War Memorial it is strange that he is not recorded separately under his own initials. However, at that time it was common for men to have nicknames and this makes for considerable confusion of identification.
The Rev. Basil Davis, who was chaplain to the rifle brigade wrote with the sad news “your son, Private G. Knight, Royal Fusiliers, has been killed in action. But I want to write a few lines to you because I hope it may be some little comfort to you in your great sorrow to know how deeply it is shared by us out here. Your boy was much loved by his many chums, and was most highly respected by all in the Battalion, both officers and men. His death is a great loss to us. To you I know it is a hard blow indeed, but like your brave boy you, too, must be brave. You must have the consolation of knowing that he has given his life for others -- the greatest thing a man can do, and also that he did not have to suffer before he died; he was killed instantly. His grave is marked by a cross which has his name and regiment on it, and it will be as carefully kept as possible under difficult circumstances.”
Additional Information
After his death £1 0s 9d was authorised to go to his mother, Kate Elizabeth on 28 January 1918. Later, a war gratuity of £4 was authorised to be paid to her on 3 November 1919.
His pension cards record his mother, as his dependant, living at 8 Old Park Road, Hitchin. She was awarded a pension of 6d a week from 26 February 1918 to 13 May 1918, plus 6d from 14 May 1918 and then 10s a week from 3 December 1918 to 20 January 1920 – it is not clear why this end date is in place because normally these awards were for life. An exception being when a widow remarried, in which case a marriage grant was normally issued.
The Hitchin War Memorial refers to him as ‘G.T.’ whereas the Lawson Thompson Scrapbooks refer to ‘W.G.’ of the Royal Fusiliers. George had a brother whose name was John Charles Knight, a Corporal in the Hertfordshire Regiment who went missing on the 31st July 1917 and was later reported as a prisoner of war at Dulmen in Germany, though there is no evidence that he died.
Brother John Charles enlisted on 18 Feb 1910 for 4 years as Private 1372 (265073 in 1917) in the Hertfordshire Regiment, promoted Lance Corporal on 1 Jul 1913. He re-engaged for a further year on 1 Feb 1914. Having been embodied on 5 Aug 1914, John was made Corporal on 18 Sep 1914 and went to France on 5 Nov 1914. Gun shot wound to right foot on 17 Apr 1916 and was demobilised on 19 Mar 1919 having been a Prisoner of War from 31 Jul 1917 after being reported Missing at St Julien, was later reported as a prisoner of war at Dulmen in Germany, and was demobilised on 19 Mar 1919 .
His mother died in her sleep on 15 February 1927 – still living at 38 Tilehouse Street, Hitchin.
*1 Believed to be commemorated at C T Knight on the Hitchin Town Memorial.
Acknowledgments
Neil Cooper
Adrian Dunne, David C Baines, Dan Hill, Janet Capstick, Jonty Wild
