248046 Pte. George Hammond British Army 1st Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment from:St Lukes, Middlesex Pte George Hammond joined the Royal Berkshire Regiment of Infantry in June 1914 shortly after his 18th birthday. A month later he was transferred to the 1st Battalion. In his civilian life he was a Porter of Fancy Leather Goods.
George had originally joined the Special Reserves in February 1914 at Stratford and his medical history describes him as having a fair complexion, light brown hair and dark blue eyes. At 5' 5" tall and weighing only 108 lbs he was considered to be in fair physical shape with a fully expanded chest measurement of 33".
He was based in Aldershot when war broke out and was soon sent to the front line with the British Expiditionary Force, moving to the 3rd Battalion on 8th August 1914 then back to the 1st Battalion on 4th May 1915.
Just over a year later, fighting at Vimy Ridge, on 23rd of May 1916 George was seriously wounded, suffering gunshot wounds to his right knee and having to have part of his left forearm amputated before being sent back to England on the 23rd of July 1916.
George spent the next year in hospital having his forearm re-amputated and operations on his right leg. Finally, fitted with an artificial limb he was discharged from the Army and released into his mothers care at 22 Every Street, Kingsland Rd, London N.
At only 22 years of age George's life was over. Despite having grown to 5' 10" he now had an artificial hand and his right leg was virtually useless, wearing a caliper and a 5" high boot. Little is known of what happened next to George Hammond, but it appears he never married, and in the 1939 Register he can be found without any family and shown as a boarder in Shoreditch and described as having 'No Occupation, Disabled Ex-Soldier'.
George passed away on the fifteenth of January 1947 at the age of 50 years. He had finally found work and was employed as a Time-Keeper. His death was a sad and lonely one at 79 Hows Street, Shoreditch, with Cause of Death stated as a) Pneumonia, b) Myocardial degeneration, and c) Influenza. His landlord found his body and caused it to be buried.
This is my tribute to a Great Uncle I never knew and have never seen a photograph of. My Grandfather was separated from his brother and they never found one another, despite searching in the 1930's. It is thanks to DNA testing I have found my ancestor's family and feel a great sadness reading about a young man, proud to fight for his Country but ended up broken and lonely. God Rest Your Soul, Great Uncle George, not forgotten.
|