George Squires was born in Thame, Oxfordshire in the Summer of 1878, the fourth son of Benjamin Squires and Emma Sarah Perrin who had six children. These were: Harry, John Benjamin, Thomas John, George, Charles (Holtom) and Emma Sarah. Charles Holtom had been fostered by Benjamin and Emma and they had another unnamed child which died at birth in 1875. Benjamin Squires was a ‘Bootmaker’ and he lived and worked in the same house in Thame from 1867, when he married George’s mother Emma, until his death in 1929. When young George left school in 1891 he started work locally as an ‘Errand Boy’. By the time of the next census however, he was recorded working as a ‘Journeyman Printer’ and this is the trade that eventually brought him to Hemel Hempstead.

He arrived in Hemel some time in the 1890’s when he found work with the local newspaper, the Hertfordshire, Hemel Hempstead Gazette and West Herts Advertiser. At that time the paper was owned by H. K. Trotman & Co. and based in premises at 3 Alexandra Road. George found ‘digs’ in nearby Crescent Road with Stuart Tuckwell, a ‘Compositor’ at the Gazette. Another work colleague, ‘Journalist Author’ Fred Archer, was also living with the Tuckwells.

It appears that George learned his trade as a ‘Compositor’ at the newspaper before he took his skills to John Dickinson & Co. Limited sometime before 1911. The census in that year records his employment in the Envelope Department at Apsley Mills and by this time George was living at 46 Cotterell’s Road (now Cotterells) with a fellow ‘Compsoitor’ George Pettitt and his family. George Pettitt’s youngest brother William was killed in France in 1918 and his biography also appears on this site. George was still working with Dickinsons when he was called up in April 1916 and he attested at Hemel Hempstead where he enlisted with the Bedfordshire Regiment. He was sent to Felixstowe to train with the 3rd Battalion before being posted to the 7th Battalion ("The Shiney Seventh") and sent to France.

The 7th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment was a 'Service' battalion raised specifically for the duration of the war in September 1914 as a part of Lord Kitchener's K2 Army Group. It is not known when George went to France but it was most probably in October 1916 when the Battlion War Diaries recorded the arrival of a substantial draft on new men. It also describes the appearance of an important visitor: “11-10-16 Training. Draft of 158 Other Ranks arrived from England all of which were well equipped, of good Physique, and a marked improvement on previous drafts (except they had no marching powers). C.I.C. Genl.Sir Douglas Haig visited the Billets, Saw the above draft chatted with many officers N.C.Os & men as he passed from one place to the other. No inspection was arranged as he wished to pay a visit to unit carrying on in the ordinary way.”

George was soon in the trenches as the Battalion moved to Albert where it remained for the next few months. In February 1917 the 7th Bedfordshires were engaged in the Operations on the Ancre which continued through March and included the German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line. These actions came at a cost to the Battalion and although George came through unscathed, ninety-eight of his comrades were killed, wounded or missing. On the 3rd May George fought in the Third Battle of the Scarpe, a phase of the Battle of Arras and again survived the action.

Some respite followed but in late July the Battalion marched to Ypres and was soon preparing for the next major offensive. This came on the 10th August with the attack on and capture of Westhoek after some particularly stirring action which was recorded in the War Diary as follows: “The battalion famous for its fighting spirit in the past eclipsed all former deeds of gallantry, when heavy wire held up the foremost men, those behind stood on lumps of earth and rubbish and fired over the heads of those cutting the wire, seldom have any troops shown such brilliant dash and utter contempt for the Bosch.”

Six days later George took part in a night attack on the enemy’s strong point which was quickly abandoned due to heavy enemy machine gun fire. This proved to be the culmination of six days of brutal fighting and the casualties incurred were once again significant: “Summary of Casualties O.R.s Killed 35 Wounded 163 Died of Wounds 5 Missing 47 Missing Believed Killed 6 Missing Believed Wounded 3. 259 Incurred from 10/8/17 to 17/8/17 inclusive.”

George was one of the soldiers killed in the action and he died on Thursday, 16th August 1917.

His old employer, the Hemel Gazette, reported his death just over a month later.

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

George is remembered with Honour in Tyne Cot Cemetery, West Vlaanderen, Belgium, where he is interred in Grave XLV. E. 2.

He was 39 years old when he died.

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