George Alexander Large
George Large was a clerk in 1911.
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
- Photographs
George Alexander Large was born in 1890 the son of Thomas Samuel an engineer and his second wife Alice Large. née Carruthers, he was the brother of Frederick, Alice and Florence Large.
His father Thomas was born in 1855 at Manchester, his mother Alice Carruthers was born in 1865 at Nottingham they were married in 1885 at Hulme Manchester, they had 4 children,
Thomas Samuel 1st marriage was to Mary Cunliffe néé Green (born 1842 at Liverpool, she died in 1884 she was 42 yrs they were maried on 30th March 1872 at St Mary's Church, Manchester, they had 10th Marc 1862 in Lancashire they had 2 children. Thomas Samuel born 1874 and Henry born 1878.
In the 1911 census the family are living at 55, Long Street, Acotes, Manchester Thomas 56 yrs is an engineer he is living with his second wife Alice 46 yrs a shirt maker, they are living with their children, Frederick 25 yrs a carter, George 21 yrs a clerk, Alice 12 yrs a scholar, Florence 8 yrs
He was the husband of Beatrice Alice Haldane (born 15th October 1880). They lived at 1, Duke Street, Old Radford, Nottingham. Their four year-old son, also George Alexander Large, drowned in one of the Wollaton locks on the Nottingham Canal on 17th May 1918.
Beatrice Large's death was registered in the April-June quarter of 1918.
George Alexander Large enlisted at Nottingham he served with the 1/8th battalion Sherwood Foresters Regiment, he was killed on 21st December 1917 he is buried in Philosophe British Cemetery, Mazingarbe Grave Reference: IV A 8.
1/8th Bn Sherwood Foresters had been in the Philosophe area, close to the sites of 1915's Battle of Loos, since the summer of 1917. The unit War Diary for December 16th-22nd (TNA WO95/2695/3) records 'This period consisted of ordinary trench warfare and was very quiet with the exception of hostile trench mortars.' George Large became one of only four men from the battalion killed during December 1917, a victim of 'trench wastage' to use a rather chilling term from the time.
Nottingham Journal and Express 20th May 1918:
'DROWNED IN THE CANAL.
Playing near the Wollaton canal locks on Friday afternoon [17th May 1918] a four-year-old boy named George Alexander Large, the only child of a soldier's widow, living at Duke-street, Nottingham, accidentally fell in the water and drowned.
At the inquest on Saturday, [18th May 1918] the evidence showed that deceased went with a young playmate down to the canal and falling into the water was drowned before assistance could be obtained. A verdict to this effect was returned by the jury.'
Article courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918.
additional reseaerch and information Peter Gillings
Photo courtesy of the Sherwood Foresters Roll of Honour website