Name
George French
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Pirton School Memorial
Biography
George appears on the School War Memorial, confirming that he attended the school. A search of the parish and census records suggests four possible men:
The first was born on September 24th 1882 to Eliza (Elizabeth) Sarah French. So if this is the right man he would have been thirty-one at the outbreak of war. Two years later, on May 24th 1884, Eliza married Charles Furr and it would seem that she was then commonly known as Sarah. A family tree provided by Bob Lawrence lists nine children: George (French, b 1882) and then his siblings or half-siblings named Furr; Charles (b 1884), Ethel (b 1886), Ellen Louisa (b 1888), Winifred (b 1898), Albert (b 1895), Frederick (b 1900), Zillah (b 1903) and Harry (b 1906).
If this is the George who served, then he and his brothers or half-brothers, Charles, Albert and Fred all served and, remarkably, all survived the war. Charles was awarded the Military Medal. This George married Cordelia and they are buried in St. Mary’s churchyard. George died in 1953, aged seventy and Cordelia in 1968, aged eighty-three.
The second possibility is the George French, born on February 3rd 1897 to Thomas and Alice French. This George would have been seventeen at the outbreak of war.
A third possibility was born circa 1883. The 1901 census records Emma Fanny French (daughter) and George (grandson) living with Frances French. It was originally assumed that George was Emma’s son, and another possibility, however Patti Salter revealed that was actually the son of Emma’s sister and is therefore listed above.
There seemed to be a fourth possibility; he was born around 1895 and was the son of William and Mary Ann Maria French (née Reynolds). So he would have been about nineteen at the outbreak of war, but it is likely that this George died in 1901, at the age of six.
Unfortunately, at this time, it is not known which of the first three is the man who served.
Acknowledgments
Text from the book ‘The Pride of Pirton’ by Jonty Wild, Tony French & Chris Ryan used with author's permission
