Gordon Victor Hemeley was born in Boxmoor on Saturday, 3rd November 1893. His mother was Margaret Hemelel a 'Domestic Servant' who lived at 37 Green End Road in Boxmoor where Gordon was born. His father is not known. He was raised by his Grandparents, George Hemeley and Dorcas Hemmings who lived in nearby.

Gordon’s Grandfather was a ‘Groom’ and lived at 27 Green End in 1901, not far from “The Grapes” public house which still stands in its original location today. Six-year-old Gordon was at Boxmoor JMI school having just transferred from the Infants Department to the Middle school in February 1901. He completed two of the seven Standards whilst at Boxmoor and left on the 9th April 1909 when he entered domestic service aged thirteen.

In 1911 aged seventeen he was still at home with his Grandparents and the domestic service job turned out to be ‘Garden Work’ although his employer is not known. His Grandfather was still working as a ‘Groom’ at this time, aged sixty-seven.

Records show that Gordon enlisted at some point after September 1915 and it is likely he joined the colours under the Group Scheme (Derby Scheme) and deferred his call-up until 1916. Under the scheme if a recruit attested and committed to go and fight they could defer their enlistment and instead were categorised by age which determined when they would be called up for service. In Gordon’s case this meant he was called up in January 1916.

He had attested and joined the 1st Hertfordshire Regiment, but along with other recruits to the 1st Herts at this time, he was assigned to the 6th Battalion Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire) Regiment due to a shakeup of the Army in the field. When Kitchener’s "New Armies" arrived on the Western Front in the summer of 1915, the 1st Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment (Hertfordshire Guards) was moved as the army was reorganised so that veteran units were distributed amongst the "green" New Army battalions.

Shortly before he went to France, Gordon married Mercy Cook on Saturday, 17th June 1916. The marriage would prove tragically short and inevitably produced no children. Mercy was awarded a pension in 1917 of 13s 9d per week but she remarried in 1921, five years after Gordon’s death.

He went to France in July 1916 and saw his first significant action almost at once when he fought in the Battle of Bazentin Ridge which included the capture of Trones Wood. He then fought in the Battle of Delville Wood before his final action at the Battle of Thiepval Ridge.

On the 29th September the 6th Battalion were at Thiepval in support of the attack and the Battalion War Diary recorded events as follows: "Sept. 29 Bn – in Line – no change shelled periodically throughout day Casualties Killed 6 Wounded 49 Missing 5."

Gordon was one of the men killed during the shelling and he died on Friday, 29th September 1916.

His named is recorded on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial incorrectly as ‘GORDON HEMLEY’. All birth, marriage, death and military records spell his name ‘HEMELEY’

Gordon is Remembered with Honour on Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France, Pier and Face 11 D.

He was 22 years old when he died.

Gordon was entitled to the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.