George Bates was born in Hemel Hempstead on Tuesday, 16th October 1883 the second son and child born to Frederick Bates and Emily Hollick who had a family of nine together. The children were: William, George, Frederick, Elizabeth, Lily, Harry, Robert, Archie (Archibald) and the youngest Edith. George’s younger brother Robert also died as result of active service in December 1916. George grew up living in St. John’s Road in Boxmoor and attended the local school, Boxmoor JMI which he started as an infant in 1888. He moved up to the Middle school on the 5th May 1890 and when he left, on the 31st July 1897, he was still only twelve-years-old.

He immediately started work on a farm, but by the next census in 1901, George and his younger brother Frederick, had found work as a ‘Sawyers’ at Foster’s Limited, the local steam and water saw mill. Foster’s mill and timber yard stood on Kingsland Road next to the Grand Junction (Union) Canal and provided work for many local Boxmoor men.

George married Nellie (Lilian) Mallord in 1906 and by 1911 they were living with Nellie’s step-father, Herbert Orchard, at 30 St John’s Road. George and Herbert had worked together in Foster’s sawmills and George knew Nellie long before they married. His brother-in-law Herbert, Nellie’s half-brother, was killed only eight weeks before George and his biography also appears on this site. George had changed jobs again by this time and now worked as a ‘Coal Heaver’ with John Dickinson & Co. Limited in Apsley Mills.

George and Nellie had four children who were: Lilian Emma born in 1908, Dorothy in 1910, Robert George in 1912 and finally, Joyce in 1916. Sadly both Dorothy and Robert died as babies in 1910 and 1915 respectively.

George was called up for the Army under the Military Service Act in June 1916 and six months later, in December, he attested at Bedford and enlisted with the Bedfordshire Regiment. He was immediately posted to undergo basic training and in April 1917 he was sent to France. He had been transferred to the 16th Battalion Welsh Regiment, which was in the process of rebuilding following the horrific loss of much of its fighting strength at Mametz Wood in 1916. George joined his new Battalion on the 17th April at Boesinghe just north of Ypres as preparations for the next major offensive were in progress.

On the 31st July the Third Battle of Ypres began with the assault on Pilckem Ridge and over the next few days, the 16th Battalion Welsh Regiment was engaged in fighting that incurred heavy casualties. George did not survive. He had been at the Front for only three-and-a-half months and his first serious action was at Pilckem Ridge on the 31st July.

He was killed on Friday, 3rd August 1917.

George was commemorated on the John Dickinson & Co. Limited War Memorial in Apsley.

George is remembered with Honour in Artillery Wood Cemetery, West Vlaanderen, Belgium where he is interred in Grave III. F. 1.

He lies next to James Edwin Hallett from Leverstock Green in this cemetery.

He was 33 years old when he died.

George was eligible for the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.