John George Bell

At the outbreak of the war John enlisted in Australia and served in the 2nd Battalion Australian Infantry. He went first to Egypt and eventually went to the Gallipoli Peninsular where he was Killed in action on 2nd May 1915 . He has no known grave hs name is commemorated on the Lone Pine Memorial in Gallipoli, Turkey

Article published on 22nd June 1916 in the Hucknall Dispatch:- “A NOTTS. MAN KILLED. “This week we are publishing a photograph of Private John George Bell, a native of Carlton and another hero who has laid down his life for King and country. He was born in Carlton 24 years ago, and, as a boy, attended the local Board Schools. For some years he worked for Messrs. Lawrence at Colwick, and when 21 he thought he would try his luck in Australia. It was three years last September that he left England, and on landing in Australia young Bell quickly obtained employment as a car conductor. On the outbreak of war he at once responded to the call of the Mother Country, and enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces, being sent to Egypt. His stay in the land of the Pharaohs was of short duration, as April 24th, 1915, [sic] found him being landed at the Dardanelles. “His mother, who resides at 35, Worth street, Carlton, was notified in June of last year that her son was missing, and only three weeks ago received an official notification from the War Office that he was killed in action in the Dardanelles on May 2nd 1915. Private Bell’s father died during the first month of the war, and was extremely well-known, having worked on the G.N.R. for over 30 years, while for six years he was a member of the Carlton Urban District Council.” Above article is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918. The date of death according to the CWWG and the family grave is 1915 whereas the Carlton St Pauls memorial says 1916. The family grave gives his date of death as 24 May whereas elsewhere this is shown as 2nd May