George Lindley
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
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George was born in 1878 at Everton and was the son of Charles a farm labourer and Sarah Lindley, (nee Johnson ) of Finkle St., Gringley-on-the-Hill, Doncaster. Charles was originally from the village of Everton and married Sarah Johnson from the village of Gringley. They settled in Gringley and had a large family of 10 children , only seven of who survived to the 1911 census. George had brothers , Charles, Herbert, Fred ,Frank, Arthur and Walter and a sister Minnie . In the 1901 census he is 23 years of age and has left home , he is a boarder on a Keel (boat) at Torksey Lock in the parish of Fenton , his occupation is that of waterman. By the 1911 census he is back home and living with the family at Shaw Lock, Gringley , George is 33 years and single and a brick layers labourer and 3 of his brothers are still at home with him His brothers Fred and Herbert also served during the Great War and survived.
George enlisted in Gainsborough and served with 2nd Bn Lincolnshire Regiment, his medal card states he first entered a theatre of war in France on 18th December 1915. He was killed in action on the first day of the battle of the Somme on 1st July 1916, he is buried in Serre Road Cemetery No 2, Serra-les-Puisieuex, Somme, France grave ref XX B8. Private George Lindley Retford Times 11 Aug 1916 Private George Lindley of Gringley on the Hill was killed in battle on July 1st. The Captain of his Company in a sympathetic letter states, “That he died fighting bravely in the heat of a great attack.” One of his comrades also writes saying “That he was always well liked in the Company by everybody, and we all miss a very good and faithful soldier who has done his work well for King and country,” Pte Lindley who was 38 years of age, joined the 2nd Lincolns on May 27 1915 and after a period of training was drafted to France in November of the same year. It appears that in the great advance on July 1 when nearing the German lines he was instantaneously killed by a bomb. He was a quiet unassuming man and belonged to a very patriotic family. There are no slackers in the Lindley family – all five brothers joined the colours and of the remaining four, two are on active service and two are in training. Battles of the Somme In the summer of 1916 a large scale offensive was launched against the German front line on both sides of the river Somme. The battles lasted for a gruelling four months carried out over a number of phases with many casualties on both sides. George was one of 60,000 British casualties on the first day, 1st July of which almost 20,000 were fatalities
Source, ‘Gringley a Tribute to the 24 ‘ published July 2014 by the Gringley History Club. www.gohistory.org.uk (Courtesy of Alan Hickman)
