George Freke Howard

Memorial: South Gloucestershire war dead not on a local memorial

Regiment: Royal Lancaster Regiment

Medals: 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Silver War Badge, Victory Medal

Rank and number: Private 28202

Parents: Charles Isaac and Eliza Ann Howard

Home address: 9 Prince Albert Terrace, Two Mile Hill, Kingswood, Bristol

Pre-war occupation: Printer's Assistant

Date of birth: 1898

Place of birth: St. George, Bristol

Date of death: 11/04/1918

Buried/Commemorated at: Buried at Gorre British and Indian Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. He is remembered on the grave of his parents in the graveyard of Kingswood Methodist Church, but is not commemorated on a local memorial.

Age: 19

Further information:

George was born in St. George in Bristol, the son of a chocolate maker and the youngest of four children with two older brothers and an older sister.

George enlisted in 1st/5th Battalion King’s Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) in July 1916 when he was described as 5’ 8 ½” tall. He was mobilised to France in February 1917 where he would have fought in various actions on the Western Front including The Battle of Pilkem Ridge and The Battle of Menin Road Ridge. George was killed during the Battle of Estaires (9–11 April 1918) one of the Battles of the Lys (7 – 29 April 1918) which was an allied victory but at a cost of 119,000 casualties. Included among George’s personal effects, sent to his mother after his death, were postcards, greetings cards and a lock of hair.

By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):

This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/