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LANCASTER, George Harold
 | Rank: Private Year of death: 1918 Date of birth: 08/08/1877 Date of death: 10/08/1918 Place of death: Somme Service number: 5014 and 91678 Regiment: Yorkshire Regiment and 2nd Canadian Mounted rifles Medals: Cemetery location: Dean Road Cemetery Scarborough, section F 241 Where remembered?: |
Biographical Information
George Harold Lancaster was born in South Shields County Durham in1877. He first appears on the census returns in1881 by which time the family are living in Scarborough at 2,Wrea Street. William his father is described as a “ house carpenter” his mother Ellen and two younger brothers complete the family at this time. By the 1891 census the family were living at 63,Prospect Road and a daughter aged 8tears is recorded. George at 15 years old is working as a ( telegraph messenger ). The 1911 census shows a second daughter and George senior as being a widower. The family at this time is living at 28, Raleigh Street. George Harold is not on the 1911 return as he has by this time left home.
On 13/02/1901 George signed attestation papers and joined up. He joined the Yorkshire regiment. His age was given as 24 years and 7 months. George served in South Africa during the Boer War.
After leaving the British Army George also left England. The passenger list for the RMS Victorian shows one G H Lancaster,labourer,ticket number 22720 leaving Liverpool for Canada. The Victorian was bound for Montreal.
On 15/15/1916 George took the oath and signed up for the Canadian Army. His answers to the attestation questions show his address as 15, Leonard Avenue, Toronto, his occupation still a labourer and his parents address as Gordon Street, Scarborough, Yorkshire. George was part of the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force and as such he embarked for service overseas on 25/03/1917 at Halifax ,Nova Scotia, on the SS Metagama, arriving in Liverpool ( for training ) on the 7th of April.
Later he was transferred to the 2nd Canadian Mounted Force and served in France, on the Somme, where he was grievously wounded. Suffering gunshot wounds to the abdomen and right ankle he was evacuated to the 48th casualty clearing station where the South African veteran died two days after his birthday on August 10th 1918.
He is interred in Villers – Bretonneux Military Cemetery in France; also on page 445 of the First World War Book of Remembrance; the Canadian Virtual War Memorial as well as on his parents gravestone in Dean Road Cemetery Scarborough, section F 241.