Biography

Family background

George Harold Vincent was born in 1898 in Clifford, probably on the 6th January. In 1901, he was living at Willow Terrace, Clifford, with his grandmother. By 1911, George had moved to Collingham and was living at 4 Station Cottages with his Uncle who was a platelayer on the railway.

Service record

George enlisted for military service on the 2nd June 1916 in Harrogate, but he was not called up until 17th January 1917, when he became Private 45135 George Harold Vincent in the South Staffordshire Regiment. His military service record gave his address at that time as Lica Cottage, Collingham.

From the 17th January 1917 until 27th July 1917, George served in the UK, undergoing his basic training in the Army with the 6th Battalion of the Training Reserve of the South Staffordshire Regiment. On the 2nd July 1917 he was posted to the 3rd Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment before posting, on the 26th July, to the 1st Battalion of the same regiment, when he first went to France.

The 1st Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment had been at Patricia Camp in the vicinity of St. Leger in France in Brigade Reserve - ie they had moved back from the front line for a short period of rest, refitting and training from the 9th to the 16th July. They had then moved back to the front line near St. Leger on the 16th July. George Vincent's first days in the front line must have been hectic and frightening to a new soldier in the front line for the first time, although it seems to have been a quiet period.

On the 23rd July, the Battalion withdrew again to reserve at Patricia Camp until the 31st July - returning then to the front line. Normal trench life continued with routine trench work to maintain and improve the trenches and the line. Despite this quietness the War Diary still records the wounding of 3 men on the 3rd and 4th August. Routine continued with another spell out of the line in Patricia Camp from the 7th - 8th August, but this time, instead of spending a week in reserve and then returning to the front line the Battalion marched from Patricia Camp on the 9th August to billets at Berles-au-Bois. Here the Battalion spent the 10th August cleaning up and on the 11th were subjected to a kit inspection. Then began a longer period of training, interspersed with Batalion events such as the Corps Horse Show, an Officers vs Battalion cricket match, an inter-section shooting competition and, on the 25th August, the 7th Divisional Fair. At this fair the Battalion is reported to have won the Shoubridge Challenge Cup, The Bullecourt Flat Race, the Longatte Hurdles and "Jumping for infantry, Royal Engineers & RAMC Officers of the Division".

On the 27th August, the Battalion was ordered to move to Mondicourt and they left Berles-au-Bois and marched to Mondicourt, arriving at 2pm on the 28th August. Next day, most of the Battalion entrained for Hopoutre at 6.30pm and they went into billets at Migmag Camp near Ouderdom. From there, they moved by route march via Poperinghe to billets near Steenvoorde and then a few days later to Les Trois Rois. They remained there, training, until the 13th September when they moved to Coin Perdu, and then, on the 15th, to Zudausques. This extended period of training and practice, including a battle exercise, continued for the rest of September until the 29th when the moved from Wisques, via Elnes-Wavrans to entrain again for St. Hubertushoek. At the stage, the Battalion had moved from one section of the front line and were now approaching a sector in Belgium. Things were starting to get more dangerous - the war diary recording that 3 men were killed and 26 wounded during a hostile air raid on their camp on the 30th September 1917.

Their battle training completed, the 1st Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment proceeded to the front line from their camp near Chateau Segard to take part in a general attack by the British Second Army. They arrived in the front line on the 3rd October and formed up for the attack at 4.30am on the 4th October. The Battalion War Diary provides a detailed description of the battle (shown here in abridged form).

At some time during this battle, on the 4th October 1917, George Vincent was wounded. He had been in France/Belgium just 10 weeks. George was admitted to the 3rd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) with a shot wound to the leg. He was processed through the CCS and admitted to the 3rd Army Field Ambulance and a day later was transferred to the 1st Canadian General Hospital. On the 24th October he was evacuated back to England and was admitted to Woolton Auxiliary Hospital near Liverpool. His records show he had a shot wound to his left thigh. He stayed at Woolton until 19th November and he was finally discharged from hospital on the 24th November when he was posted back to his depot.

George was posted back to the 3rd Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment on the 8th February 1918 to get ready for overseas service again. Eventually, George embarked in Folkstone on the 12th March 1918 to rejoin the British Expeditionary Force in France, where he joined the 2nd Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment on the 18th March.

George continued his service in France until 2nd November 1919 when he returned home.

After the war

We believe that George married in 1923 and that he died in Leeds in 1974.

Biography last updated 09 January 2025 13:52:30.