George Cripps was born in Boxmoor, Hertfordshire on Monday, 6th November 1893 and baptised on Wednesday, 10th April 1895. He was the oldest son born to George Cripps and Catherine Sibley who had ten children together although only seven are known; Emily, Annie (both half-sisters) followed by Frederick, Jane, Thomas, Will and Lily. His brother Thomas was one of the youngest men to die in the Great War aged only sixteen when he was Killed in Action in 1916, whilst serving with the Royal Navy. His biography also appears on this site. The Cripps family lived at 9 Fishery Cottages in Boxmoor for many years and all the children were raised there and attended the local school, Boxmoor JMI. George started his education there in the Infants Department in 1898. He left in February 1906, when he was twelve years old and went to work with G.B. Kent and Sons Limited in Apsley. By 1911 however, he had left the brush factory and found a job as a “Wooden Box Maker” at Foster’s Sawmills on Kingsland Road, a few minutes from his home.

Shortly after the outbreak of war, in January 1915, George attested at Hemel Hempstead and enlisted with the Royal Engineers (RE). He went for basic training and was initially posted as a Driver with the RE, going overseas as part of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in early 1916. He worked as a Driver and Dispatch Rider and was attached to the Signals Division during his war service, all of which was spent in Afghanistan on India’s Northwest Frontier and in India itself. Little is known of his service activities other than where he served in India, namely Rawalpindi (now in Pakistan) which was an important British Military base and Poona (Pune).

Poona was were the RE Signal Service Depot was based and George saw out the war there. Following the signing of the Armistice on the 11th November 1918, the process of demobilisation began for the Allied forces. Typically, this meant that those who had volunteered earliest where prioritised, leaving later recruits and conscripted men in post longer. Additionally, postings to the far reaches of the British Empire took longer to demobilise and this was the case for George. In June 1918, he was still at Poona awaiting his return to England when he was tragically killed in an accident. His pension records note that George died after being “Thrown from a horse” although it is not known if this was during the execution of duties.

He died on Saturday, 30th June 1919.

George is Remembered with Honour on the Delhi Memorial (India Gate), Delhi, India, Face 1 and he is buried in Hangu Cemetery in the city.

He was 24 years old when he died.

George is entitled to the British War Medal, the Allied Victory Medal, the India General Service Medal and the Afghan NWFF Medal.