George Garner was born in Boxmoor, Hertfordshire on Saturday, 11th April 1885, the fourth child born to George Garner and Ann Merrington. George had seven siblings; Kate, Lizzie, Rose, and William all older and Clara, Daisy and Ethel. Ethel died aged one in 1895 and the following year, George’s mother Ann also passed away when George was only ten-years-old. George’s father married again in 1898 to Florence Annie Barber (nee Harvey) and George immediately gained four step-siblings; William, Florence Annie, Henry Arthur and Lilian. Two more half-sisters followed, Gertrude Mabel in 1900 and Ellen Elsie in 1902. Another of George’s younger sisters, Daisy, died in 1907 aged eighteen.

George went to Boxmoor JMI School in February 1892 and whilst there, successfully completed five of the seven ‘standards’. He left the school on the 30th January 1898 and the reason for his departure is recorded as “Living in London”. The facts are unclear, as research has not uncovered any record of George or his family living in London, but his step-mother Florence was from Walworth. It is possible that his father was working in London where he may have met widow Florence at around this time. Indeed, they were married towards the end of 1898 back in Hemel Hempstead.

By 1901, George aged sixteen, was working as a ‘Sawyer’ in Fosters Sawmills on Kingsland Road. Five years later, to supplement his income, he enlisted with the Militia joining the 4th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment. At the time he was living with his sister Lizzie and brother William at 5 Woodbine Cottages, George Street in Berkhamsted.  

At attestment, George is described as follows: "Apparent Age 20 years an10 months; Height 5 feet 10 inches; Weight 131 lbs; Chest Measurements 36 inches Expansion 2 ½ inches; Complexion Fresh; Eyes Brown; Hair Lt. Brown." He served for just over two of the four years he signed up for and bought his discharge in April 1908 for the payment of £1.0.0. It seems he did not take to military service and his charater was adjudged "inefficient" on his departure. By the time of the next census in 1911, he had moved to Watford and was boarding with the Collins family on Sutton Road, close to Watford Junction station. He was working as a ‘Wireman’ for the National Telephone Company. This was a British telephone company formed in 1881, which brought together smaller local companies in the early years of the telephone. It was taken over by the General Post Office (G.P.O.) in 1912.

Following the outbreak of war, George's previous military service meant that he was immediately mobilised and he attested at Watford in September 1914 and enlisted with his old regiment. He was initially posted to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion to train before being transferred to the newly formed 7th (Service) Battalion, part of ‘K2’ Lord Kitchener’s second call to arms which saw 100,000 men enlist in September 1914. The ‘Shiney Seventh’ as it was known became part of the 54th Brigade in the 18th (Eastern) Division and George went with it to France on the 26th July 1915.

The year was relatively quiet compared with what was to come in 1916, though George did see action in the trenches and the Battalion suffered some casualties. On the 1st July 1916 George fought in the Battle of Albert, the opening attack of the Somme Offensive and then two weeks later, at the Battle of Bazentin Ridge where he was amongst the wounded. He was taken out of the line and evacuated to a base hospital for treatment and subsequently transferred back to England to recover.

When he was fit for service again in early 1917, he returned to the Front, but this time to Belgium and the 1st Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment where he was assigned to ‘C’ Company. George then fought in the Battle of Arras, specifically at the attack on La Coulotte in April and the Third Battle of the Scarpe in May. Then in October 1917, in the vicinity of Ypres, he fought at the Battle of Poelcapelle. This action was a failure due to staunch resistance from a well-entrenched enemy, enfilading with heavy machine gun fire and combined with very poor weather conditions. As a result, over two days the Battalion incurred heavy casualties and sadly George was one.

He was killed on Tuesday, 9th October 1917.

His sister, Lizzie Foskett, received a letter of sympathy form his C.O., the contents of which were published in the Hemel Gazette just over a month after George died.

2nd Lieutenant Joseph Thornton Laughton, who sent the letter, was wounded the day after George died. He was later fatally wounded and died on the 29th September 1918, just over a month before the War ended. He was only 22 years old.

George is Remembered with Honour on Tyne Cot Memorial, West Vlaanderen, Belgium, Panel 48 to 50 and 162A.

He was 32 years old when he died.

George was entitled to the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.