Tag: Royal Garrison Artillery

Charles “Charley” Luttman: Railway Constable and Anti-Aircraft Gunner

Charles Luttman, known as Charley, was a British railway worker and artilleryman who died on October 29, 1918, shortly before the Armistice. He served with “Y” Anti-Aircraft Battery and is remembered as a good soldier and sportsman. Charley left behind his wife Elizabeth and their son Ernest.

Charles Luttman, known as Charley, was a railway worker, police constable and artilleryman whose life ended in France on 29 October 1918, just thirteen days before the Armistice. A bombardier serving with “Y” Anti-Aircraft Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, he died of wounds, leaving his wife Elizabeth and their young son Ernest. His battery commander remembered him as “a right good soldier and sportsman”. [1][2]

Early Life and Family

Charles was born on 9 January 1886 at Marston Sicca, his birth being registered in the Stratford-on-Avon district. His baptism took place on 7 February, when the parish register entered him as “Charlie Lutman”, son of George and Maria. George was then a labourer, and the family lived in Marston Sicca. The baptism transcription describes the parish as being in Gloucestershire, whereas later records give Charles’s birthplace as Marston, Warwickshire. [1]

His mother was Maria Pattenden. By April 1891, Charles was living with the family in Westerham, Kent, Maria’s birthplace; in March 1901 he was recorded in Kidbrooke. The family’s movements subsequently brought them to Well Hall, Eltham, where the 1911 census provides a fuller picture of their household. [1]

At twenty-five, Charles lived with his parents at 132 Grangehill Road and worked as a railway platelayer. George was now a gardener. Also present were Charles’s younger brother William, a farm carman, his sister Maud, and a boarder, George Law, who worked as a railway porter. Charles’s recorded employment thus placed him within the railway world before his later appointment as a constable. [1]

Railway Police and Marriage

By April 1914, Charles was a constable living in Hatcham. The British Transport Police History Group identifies his force as the South East and Chatham Railway Police, while his local obituary states that he worked at Cannon Street Station in London. These sources distinguish his railway-police employment from service in a municipal police force. [1][3]

On 14 April 1914 he married Elizabeth Annie Pattenden at St Mary the Virgin, Westerham. The marriage-register transcription describes Charles as a twenty-eight-year-old bachelor and Elizabeth as a twenty-six-year-old spinster. William Henry Clayson and Alice Mary Pattenden witnessed the ceremony, conducted by S. Lemesurier. Although a separate military-record summary gives a November date, the detailed parish-register transcription supports 14 April. [1]

Their son, Ernest Charles, was born at Penshurst on 10 March 1915. During the war, Elizabeth’s address was French Street, Westerham. Charles’s family life was therefore established only shortly before the outbreak of war, and Ernest was three when his father died. [1]

Regular Army Service and Mobilisation

The service summaries in the family report place Charles’s original enlistment at Woolwich on 20 February 1905, when he joined the Royal Horse Artillery as a gunner. They record service in India between March 1907 and December 1909, followed by a return home and transfer to the Army Reserve in February 1911. This outline explains how he could have military experience before appearing in civilian railway employment in the 1911 census. [1]

Those summaries require some caution: the stated enlistment age does not agree with his baptismal birth date, and other transcribed details are inconsistent. Nevertheless, they describe recall at Woolwich on 5 August 1914 and later service as a bombardier. His medal-index information securely connects the numbers 36080 and 191736 with service in the Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Garrison Artillery respectively. [1]

The report’s military history places him in France from August 1914, whereas the Westerham Herald simply stated that he had been there for over two years. His precise overseas chronology should therefore be checked against the original service papers before assigning particular early-war actions. The recorded transfer to the Royal Garrison Artillery took place on 13 December 1917. [1]

“Y” Anti-Aircraft Battery

Charles’s final unit was “Y” Anti-Aircraft Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, independently identified in both the Bexley Borough Roll of Honour and the railway-police roll. His work belonged to the developing air-defence arm of the artillery, rather than to the heavy siege batteries more commonly associated with the RGA. [2][4][5]

The Long, Long Trail lists “Y” Battery under First Army, comprising the 7th, 49th, 79th, 133rd, 156th and 162nd Anti-Aircraft Sections, each equipped with two 13-pounder anti-aircraft guns. This organisation is important: a battery could control several dispersed sections rather than operate all its guns together at one position. The compiler cautions that the list remains a work in progress. [5]

The family report describes a September 1918 posting to the “7th Anti-Aircraft Battery”. Because the published organisation places 7th Anti-Aircraft Section within “Y” Battery, the entry may refer to that section, but the original posting document is needed to resolve the terminology. It should not be treated as proof of a separate final battery. [1][5]

At the time of his death, Charles therefore served in an organisation equipped to engage hostile aircraft. Its guns formed part of First Army’s air defences during the closing campaign of 1918. The available sources do not establish his section’s exact position, the particular installation it protected, or its firing activity when he was wounded. [1][5]

“He was a right good soldier and sportsman … we all miss him sorely.”

His battery commander, quoted in the Westerham Herald, 16 November 1918.

Wounding and Death

The most personal account appeared in the Westerham Herald on 16 November 1918. Elizabeth had received a letter from the sister-in-charge at a clearing station in France, informing her that Charles had died from wounds on 29 October. His major explained that he had been wounded together with three other men and his section officer. [1]

The major added that Charles had been in his battery only a short time, but that his worth had already been recognised. This supports the picture of a recent posting given in the service summary. Neither account identifies the weapon responsible, the date of the wounding or the precise location, so these details remain unknown. [1]

The family report identifies the treatment unit as 30th Casualty Clearing Station. Published movements place that station at Escaudoeuvres, near Cambrai, from 23 October 1918, providing a credible French location for his final treatment. Charles was thirty-two when he died. [1][6]

A separate soldiers’ effects summary in the report gives incompatible numbers and a death in Dover on 10 October. That entry cannot safely be used for his biography or estate figures without re-examining the original ledger. His death on 29 October is supported by the contemporary newspaper, service and pension summaries, and independent rolls of honour. [1][2][4]

Burial and Commemoration

Charles rests in Ramillies British Cemetery, France, in grave D. 26. The cemetery lies about three kilometres north-east of Cambrai. Its present burials include graves brought in after the Armistice, so his current grave reference alone does not establish his original burial location. [1][7]

The Bexley Borough Roll of Honour links him with 3 Holly Park Cottages, Corbylands Road, Sidcup, and records commemoration on Sidcup War Memorial and the Holy Trinity Church, Lamorbey, memorial panels. These references extend the geographical record beyond Eltham and Westerham. [4]

His railway service is remembered on the South East and Chatham Railway Memorial at Victoria Station’s eastern, or Kent, concourse. The British Transport Police History Group notes that the memorial incorrectly places him in the “Coaching Department”, rather than identifying him as a railway policeman. [3]

Legacy and Descendants

Elizabeth’s pension case records a £5 grant approved on 4 December 1918 and further administrative work during 1919. His medal-index summary confirms entitlement to the British War Medal and Victory Medal. These documents preserve the official aftermath of the death of a husband and father, alongside the warmer testimony of his commander. [1]

Charles’s family legacy continued through Ernest Charles. His surviving story brings together railway labour, railway policing and artillery service, but its strongest personal testimony remains the major’s recognition of his character. Remembered as a sportsman as well as a soldier, Charley was mourned by comrades who had known him only briefly and by the family whose future he did not live to share. [1]

Sources and Further Reading

Sources
[1] Individual-Report-for-Charles-Charley-Luttman.pdf https://ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/web/direct-files/attachments/141549598/1fd1ea24-70bd-4c9b-8fa6-da2117ed7bec/Individual-Report-for-Charles-Charley-Luttman.pdf
[2] [PDF] BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE HISTORY GROUP ROLL OF … https://www.btphg.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/BTPHG-RoH-UpdatedMay-2020.pdf
[3] [PDF] british transport police history group roll of honour railway, dock … http://www.btphg.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/BTPHG-WW1-RoH-Bio-Info-Jan-2014-RS-R.pdf
[4] Bexley Borough WW1 Roll of Honour https://www.bexley.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2021-10/Bexley-Borough-WW1-Roll-of-Honour.pdf
[5] Anti-Aircraft Batteries and Sections in France 1914-1918 – The Long, Long Trail https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-royal-artillery-in-the-first-world-war/anti-aircraft-sections/
[6] Locations of British Casualty Clearing Stations https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/locations-of-british-casualty-clearing-stations/
[7] Ramillies British Cemetery (CWGC) – Remembering the Fallen https://www.ww1cemeteries.com/ramillies-british-cemetery.html
[8] ARTILLERY IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR – Jstor https://www.jstor.org/stable/44233172
[9] Life story: Frederick William Charles Adams | Lives of the First World … https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/633875
[10] All things Royal Garrison Artillery (R.G.A) – Great War Forum https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/289774-all-things-royal-garrison-artillery-rga/
[11] Honoring Fallen Heroes of 1918 | PDF | Corporal | Regiment – Scribd https://www.scribd.com/document/391732704/Today-s-Fallen-Heroes-Tuesday-29-October-1918-1370
[12] Railway Police Officers Killed in Action http://www.btphg.org.uk/Images/2013/11/WW1-RoH-amendMay-2013.pdf
[13] Siege Batteries of the Royal Garrison Artillery – Greg’s War https://gregswar.com/setting-scene-background-articles/siege-batteries-of-the-royal-garrison-artillery/
[14] “Y” Battery Royal Garrison Artillery – Soldiers and their units – The … https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/88654-y-battery-royal-garrison-artillery/
[15] Royal Garrison Artillery – Salonika Campaign Society https://salonikacampaignsociety.org.uk/bsf/army-headquarters/royal-garrison-artillery/
[16] 영국 원정군 – 나무위키 https://namu.wiki/w/%EC%98%81%EA%B5%AD%20%EC%9B%90%EC%A0%95%EA%B5%B0
[17] THOMAS ROBERT CARLIELL – Ipswich War Memorial https://www.ipswichwarmemorial.co.uk/thomas-robert-carliell/
[18] 1331 died on this day: Tue 29/10/1918 – First World War https://firstworldwaronthisday.blogspot.com/2018/10/1331-died-on-this-day-tue-29101918.html
[19] The Commonwealth War Graves Commission | CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/ExportCasualtySearch/?Cemetery=RAMILLIES+BRITISH+CEMETERY&Page=1&Tab=close
[20] Personnel records of the First World War – Canada.ca https://www.canada.ca/en/library-archives/collection/research-help/military-history/first-world-war/fww-personnel.html
[21] Community: Westerham Memorial St. Mary’s Church | Lives of … https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/community/557
[22] CWGC Cemetery: RAMILLIES BRITISH CEMETERY | Craven’s … – CPGW https://cpgw.org.uk/cwgc-cemeteries/ramillies-british-cemetery/
[23] Lives of the First World War https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/2730151
[24] Tracking a unit of the Royal Field Artillery https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/tracking-a-unit-of-the-royal-field-artillery/
[25] Charles Luttman (1886-1918) – Find a Grave Memorial https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/176562840/charles-luttman
[26] Find a Grave – Millions of Cemetery Records https://www.findagrave.com/
[27] Ramillies British Cemetery, Nord, France – WW1 LIVES https://ww1lives.com/ramillies-british-cemetery-nord-france/
[28] Search Various Roll of Honour for 1914 to 1918 – Forces War … https://uk.forceswarrecords.com/publication/1409/uk-rolls-of-honour-1914-1920
[29] Bombardier C Luttman Royal Garrison Artillery. Died Tuesday … https://astreetnearyou.org/person/529640/Bombardier-C-Luttman

Walter James Cole: A Royal Garrison Artillery Corporal Remembered at Ypres

Walter James Cole was a Kent-born husband and father who served as a corporal in the Royal Garrison Artillery during the First World War. Killed in action on 27 October 1917, shortly before his twenty-seventh birthday, he left his wife Ethel and two children. His story connects the coastal communities of Ramsgate and Herne Bay with the heavy artillery war on the Western Front. [1]

Early Life and Family

Walter was born on 16 November 1890 at St Lawrence in Thanet, Kent, the son of Edwin Henry Cole and Alice Mary Kennett. His birth was registered in the Thanet district during the final quarter of that year. He was baptised at St Lawrence on 14 December 1890, less than a month after his birth. [1]

At the census of 5 April 1891, four-month-old Walter lived at 4 Gertrude Terrace, St Lawrence. His father was recorded as an upholsterer, and the household included Alice and three older children: Louisa, William and Alice May. This first glimpse of Walter places him within a working family in the Ramsgate area. [1]

By March 1901, Walter was ten and living at 7 Rodney Street, Gibsons Terrace, Ramsgate, with his father and his twelve-year-old sister Alice. The report’s transcription describes Edwin as a general labourer. It gives a different age and birthplace for him from the 1891 entry, discrepancies that would require checking against the original census images. They do not justify assuming a particular change in the family’s circumstances. [1]

Marriage and Children

Walter married Ethel Jane Butler in the Blean registration district during the final quarter of 1913. The registration establishes the period of their marriage, rather than an exact October wedding date. Their known children were Edwin Walter Cole and Muriel Ethel Rebecca Cole. [1]

When Walter’s wartime commemoration details were compiled, Ethel’s address was 21 Underdown Terrace, Herne Bay. His parents were identified as Edwin and Alice Mary Cole of St Lawrence, Ramsgate. These addresses preserve the two Kent households most directly affected by his death: his parents’ home and that of his wife and children. [1]

The surviving compilation does not establish Walter’s civilian occupation, his enlistment date or when he first went overseas. It is therefore important not to fill those gaps with an assumed trade or service history. What is securely recorded is his eventual rank, service number and battery. [1]

Military Service

Walter served as Corporal 25718 in the 186th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery. Unlike an infantry battalion, a siege battery operated heavy artillery intended to strike enemy positions beyond the immediate front line. Its effectiveness depended on the coordinated work of gun crews, observers, signallers, ammunition handlers and transport personnel. [1][2]

The 186th Siege Battery went overseas to France in October 1916; the Long, Long Trail gives its arrival date as 24 October. This is the battery’s deployment date, not proof that Walter travelled with its original contingent. The available personal evidence does not establish when he joined it. [1][2]

A battery table compiled from archival records lists the 186th’s armament on going overseas as 9.2-inch howitzers. The same source cautions that many batteries were subsequently re-equipped. Consequently, this identifies its initial overseas equipment, rather than conclusively establishing the weapons it used on the day Walter died. [3]

The family report records the Military Medal among Walter’s awards, alongside the Victory Medal. That is an important indication of recognised gallantry, but no award citation or Gazette entry has been established in the sources consulted here. The action for which he received the distinction should therefore remain unspecified. [1]

Walter belonged to the heavy artillery arm: men whose fire supported the infantry while exposing their own gun positions to enemy retaliation.

Service details and Royal Garrison Artillery context.

The Battery’s Role at the Time of Death

Siege batteries used howitzers to send large high-explosive shells along a steep trajectory. This plunging fire could reach positions protected from flatter-firing weapons. As British artillery methods developed, these batteries increasingly concentrated on destroying or suppressing German artillery, as well as attacking strongpoints, ammunition dumps, roads, railways and other targets behind enemy lines. [2]

Walter’s death fell during the closing stages of the Third Battle of Ypres, commonly associated with Passchendaele. The Second Battle of Passchendaele began on 26 October 1917, the day before he was killed, and continued until 10 November. His death therefore belongs chronologically to this final phase of the Ypres offensive, although that timing alone does not identify his battery’s particular firing task. [1][4]

For artillerymen, the Ypres battlefield imposed severe practical difficulties. An Imperial War Museums photograph from the campaign shows gunners jacking and hauling a gun out of the mud north of Ypres. Heavy artillery support depended not simply on firing weapons, but on keeping equipment serviceable and maintaining access to positions in damaged ground. [5]

The 186th’s general purpose can therefore be explained with confidence: it belonged to the heavy-howitzer organisation supporting operations through destructive and counter-battery fire. Its exact location, higher command and targets on 27 October 1917 have not been established from a contemporary war diary in this research. Assigning Walter to a named gun position or a specific infantry attack would go beyond the evidence. [1][2]

Circumstances of Death

Corporal Walter James Cole was killed in action on 27 October 1917, aged twenty-six. The family report records “France” as his place of death, while he is buried near Ypres in Belgium. These entries should not be silently treated as identical geographical evidence: without an original casualty report or burial record, the precise place where he fell remains uncertain. [1]

No personal account of his final action appears in the supplied material. Although enemy shellfire was an obvious danger to artillery units, there is insufficient evidence to state that a particular shell, bombardment or incident caused his death. The confirmed facts are his date of death, classification as killed in action, rank and service with 186th Siege Battery. [1]

Burial and Commemoration

Walter rests in White House Cemetery, St Jean-les-Ypres, Belgium, in grave II. B. 27. His burial provides a permanent place of remembrance in the landscape associated with the Ypres fighting. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintains an individual casualty record in his full name. [1]

According to the Commission’s cemetery history, White House Cemetery began in March 1915 and was used until April 1918 by units holding that part of the line. Its history also includes the concentration of graves from other burial grounds. Walter’s present grave reference alone does not establish whether this was his original burial place. [6]

The family report also cites a pension record for Ethel Jane Cole, preserving evidence of the administrative aftermath of her husband’s death. It does not reproduce an award amount or payment dates, so those details cannot safely be supplied. Behind the official record stood a widow and two children whose family life had been permanently changed. [1]

Legacy and Descendants

Walter’s known family legacy continued through Edwin Walter and Muriel Ethel Rebecca Cole. Their names restore an essential part of his identity: he was not solely a corporal and wartime casualty, but a father whose children lost him while he was still a young man. [1]

His surviving records connect infancy in Gertrude Terrace, childhood in Ramsgate, marriage to Ethel and service with a heavy artillery battery. Read together, they preserve the outline of an individual life within the enormous military organisation of the Western Front. His grave at White House Cemetery and the recorded award of the Military Medal give lasting form to the remembrance of that life and service. [1]

Sources and Further Reading

Sources
[1] Individual-Report-for-Walter-James-Cole.pdf https://ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/web/direct-files/attachments/141549598/dc5d1ca5-af7d-480a-98e7-e9be4cfa1dbc/Individual-Report-for-Walter-James-Cole.pdf
[2] The Siege Batteries of the Royal Garrison Artillery – The … https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-royal-artillery-in-the-first-world-war/the-siege-batteries-of-the-royal-garrison-artillery/
[3] Siege Batteries of the Royal Garrison Artillery https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/siege-batteries-of-the-royal-garrison-artillery/
[4] Second Battle of Passchendaele – National Army Museum, London https://ww1.nam.ac.uk/timeline/second-battle-passchendaele/
[5] THE BATTLE OF PASSCHENDAELE, JULY-NOVEMBER 1917 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205092584
[6] White House Cemetery, St. Jean-Les-Ypres https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/52400/white-house-cemetery-st-jean-les-ypres/
[7] Military medals, honours and awards, 1812–1969 – Canada.ca https://www.canada.ca/en/library-archives/collection/research-help/military-history/military-medals-honours-awards.html
[8] War diary, 10th Canadian Siege Battery : 1917-1919 – Full … https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433043775133
[9] Ancestry.ca – Military Records Search https://www.ancestry.ca/c/military_records_search
[10] RGA war diaries – The Long, Long Trail https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/rga-war-diaries/
[11] Royal Garrison Artillery 186 siege battery – Great War Forum https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/254583-royal-garrison-artillery-186-siege-battery/
[12] War Memorial Search | Herne Bay Historical Records Society https://www.hbhrs.org/war-memorial-search?fb-War=WW1
[13] 186th SIEGE BATT ROYAL GARRISON ARTILLERY – Great War Forum https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/82712-186th-siege-batt-royal-garrison-artillery/
[14] Valor Search — Free Search of US & Allied Military Records … https://medalsearch.net/
[15] Ellis Wells – Passchendaele archives https://archives.passchendaele.be/en/soldier/3202
[16] Search Millions of Grave Records – Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial
[17] War Memorial Project | Herne Bay Historical Records Society https://www.hbhrs.org/war-memorial-project
[18] 186th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery in the Great … https://wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/allied/rgartillery.php?pid=9573
[19] Siege Batteries of the Royal Garrison Artillery https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/82800-siege-batteries-of-the-royal-garrison-artillery/
[20] Tilloy British Cemetery, Tilloy-Les-Mofflaines https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/62600/tilloy-british-cemetery-tilloy-les-mofflaines/
[21] Lance Corporal Henry Hadwin 12088, 6th Bn., Border Regiment https://www.cwgc.org/stories/stories/lance-corporal-henry-hadwin-12088-6th-bn-border-regiment-killed-in-flanders-1917/
[22] Serjeant Frederick Cardy | First World War Story | For Evermore https://www.cwgc.org/stories/stories/serjeant-frederick-cardy/
[23] Private Frederick Charles Webb – Memorials – Veterans Affairs Canada https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/596128
[24] Bedford House Cemetery – Commonwealth War Graves Commission https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/55502/bedford-house-cemetery/
[25] Life story: Walter James Cole | Lives of the First World War https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/887658
[26] White House Cemetery, St Jean les Ypres, Belgium (CWGC) https://www.ww1cemeteries.com/white-house-cemetery.html
[27] Captain Ernest Francis Turton Royal Garrison Artillery. Died … https://astreetnearyou.org/person/455048/Captain-Ernest-Francis-Turton
[28] St. Jean – White House Cemetery https://thebignote.com/2018/05/06/st-jean-white-house-cemetery/
[29] Second Battle of Passchendaele – Field of Mud — PICRYL – PICRYL https://picryl.com/media/second-battle-of-passchendaele-field-of-mud-25ee62
[30] The ‘Battle of Mud’ 100 years later – The Vintage News https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/01/09/battle-of-mud/
[31] The Battle Passchendaele Flashcards | Quizlet https://quizlet.com/553724345/the-battle-passchendaele-flash-cards/

George Skeer: Brabourne’s Decorated War Veteran

Serjeant George Skeer, a decorated NCO in the Royal Garrison Artillery, died on 21 March 1918 during the German Spring Offensive. Born in Kent, he was a rural postman and active church member before re-enlisting in 1914. His bravery earned him several awards, including the Military Medal and Belgian Croix de Guerre. His name is honored on the Pozières Memorial.

George Skeer: A Detailed Biography

Serjeant George Skeer, M.M., Croix de Guerre (Belgium), 280539, 222nd Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, was a decorated Kentish artillery NCO who died of wounds on 21 March 1918 during the opening day of the German Spring Offensive and is commemorated on the Pozières Memorial, Panel 10. [1][2][3]

Early Life and Family

George Skeer was born in the Bridge registration district of Kent in the final quarter of 1881 and baptised at Harbledown on 30 October 1881, the son of John Skeer and Mary (née Hills). [1] By the 1891 census he was living at Court Lodge Cottage, Lyminge Street, Lyminge, recorded as a scholar, indicating attendance at the local elementary school in this rural Downland parish. [1]

As a young man he left Harbledown and Lyminge in search of work. By April 1909 he was resident in Ashford, then a growing railway town, and on 2 August 1909 he married Lilian West at St Nicholas, Barfrestone, banns having been called there between 11 and 25 July. [1] The couple later settled at “Southside”, Brabourne Lees, near Ashford; in the 1911 census George appears at Egerton Cottage, Brabourne, aged about 29, employed as a rural postman, with Lilian listed as his wife. [1] They had at least two children, Donald George Skeer and Stephanie Joan Skeer, forming a small family that would be deeply affected by the war. [1]

Early Life and Family (Civic and Personal Background)

Before the war George became a well‑known figure locally as the Brabourne rural postman, responsible for delivering mail across country lanes and villages. [1][2] Local ringing records from the Kent County Association of Change Ringers also note his involvement in church life as a bell ringer and sidesman, reflecting a strong connection to parish and community. [1][4]

Within wider family research he is linked under FamilySearch ID KLHN‑4ZW, embedding his story within an extended Kentish family network. [1] This combination of rural employment, church service and family responsibility illustrates the settled civilian life he left behind when he returned to the colours in the First World War. [1][2]

Military Service

George’s military association began well before 1914. The individual report records that he enlisted in the Royal Garrison Artillery in 1900, serving until 1908 as a gunner and later a sergeant under service number 5539. [1] After this initial period of regular service he resumed civilian life as a postman, but retained his skills and experience with heavy guns, which would be invaluable when war came. [1][2]

At the outbreak of the First World War he re‑enlisted in the Royal Garrison Artillery. Posted to France in June 1915, he served continuously on the Western Front until his death in 1918, being renumbered 280539 in line with RGA administrative changes and eventually serving as a serjeant in 222nd Siege Battery. [1][5] Siege batteries operated heavy artillery pieces, such as 6‑inch or 8‑inch howitzers, tasked with counter‑battery fire, destruction of strongpoints and deep bombardment of enemy positions, placing their crews in important but hazardous roles just behind the front line. [1][6][7]

Military Service (Gallantry Decorations)

George’s conduct under fire earned him two high decorations. He was awarded the Military Medal (M.M.), instituted on 25 March 1916 as a level‑3 gallantry award for non‑commissioned officers and men, given for acts of gallantry and devotion to duty under fire that did not reach the threshold of the Distinguished Conduct Medal. [1] His award was announced in the London Gazette, granting him the right to use the post‑nominal letters “M.M.” and marking him out among his peers for bravery in action. [1][4]

In addition, George received the Belgian Croix de Guerre (1st Class), a foreign decoration granted by the King of the Belgians for distinguished bravery in operations connected with Belgian interests. [1] Gazette number 30631 of 15 April 1918 records that “His Majesty the King of the Belgians confirms the award of the ‘Croix de Guerre’” and that the British monarch granted unrestricted permission to wear the decoration, emphasising the international recognition of his gallantry. [1][8][4] He also qualified for the 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and Memorial Plaque. [1][9]

Circumstances of Death

Serjeant Skeer died of wounds on 21 March 1918 at the age of 36. [1] This date marks the opening of Operation Michael, the first blow of the German Spring Offensive, directed primarily against the British Fifth Army around St Quentin and parts of the Third Army further north. At 04:40 that morning, German artillery launched an enormous five‑hour bombardment over an 80‑kilometre front, firing more than a million shells, including high explosive and gas, in a carefully planned strike against British trenches, batteries and communications. [1][3][10]

Regimental and local accounts note that 222nd Siege Battery was in the St Quentin sector and that, although Serjeant Skeer was officially off duty when the offensive began, he voluntarily joined efforts to reposition his battery’s guns in response to the German advance. [1][2][5] During this hazardous work, carried out under heavy shellfire and amid collapsing communications, he was wounded and later succumbed to his injuries, his death officially recorded as “died of wounds” on 21 March 1918. [1][2][11] The scale and confusion of the fighting meant that his body was not recovered for identified burial. [1]

Burial and Commemoration

Because no known grave exists for George, his name is inscribed on the Pozières Memorial in the Somme region of Picardie, France, where it appears on Panel 10. [1][12] The memorial, maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, commemorates more than 14,000 soldiers of the British and South African forces of the Fifth and Fourth Armies who died between 21 March and 7 August 1918 and have no known grave, many of them casualties of Operation Michael and the subsequent fighting. [1][13]

His CWGC entry reads: “SKEER, GEORGE, Serjeant, 280539, Royal Garrison Artillery, 222nd Siege Battery, died 21 March 1918, aged 36. Son of John and Mary Skeer, of Lyminge, Kent; husband of Lilian Skeer, of ‘Southside’, Brabourne Lees, Ashford, Kent. Military Medal. Croix de Guerre (Belgium).” [1][13] A Find a Grave memorial (ID 16079046) and dedicated biographical page on the Faded Genes website provide further detail on his life and awards, ensuring that researchers and descendants can access his story easily. [1][2][9]

Legacy

George Skeer’s legacy is that of a highly regarded non‑commissioned officer whose life linked quiet village service and exceptional battlefield leadership. As a rural postman and church bell ringer in Brabourne Lees he embodied the dependable core of pre‑war village society; as a serjeant in the Royal Garrison Artillery he became one of the experienced NCOs on whom the effectiveness of Britain’s heavy artillery depended. [1][2][4] His Military Medal and Belgian Croix de Guerre demonstrate that his courage was recognised by both his own country and an Allied nation grateful for his actions.

For his widow Lilian and their children Donald George and Stephanie Joan, his loss on the first day of the Spring Offensive meant a lifetime shaped by absence, despite the pride they could take in his decorations and service. [1][2] Today, through CWGC records, local Kent memorials, bell‑ringers’ rolls of honour and online projects such as “We remember George Skeer” on Lives of the First World War, his name continues to be honoured as that of a Kentish postman turned decorated artillery serjeant who gave his life at a pivotal moment in 1918. [1][4][9]

Key External Links

Sources
[1] Individual-Report-for-George-Skeer.pdf
[2] George SKEER 1881 https://www.fadedgenes.co.uk/GeorgeSKEER.html
[3] Operation Michael https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Michael
[4] World War 1 Records – Kent County Association of Change Ringers https://kcacr.org.uk/association/ww1/
[5] 222nd Siege Battery – what did they do? – Great War Forum https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/254915-222nd-siege-battery-what-did-they-do/
[6] HMS Exeter (68) – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Exeter_(68)
[7] David Gibbins — Gunner Charles Gerald Cook, Royal Garrison Artillery (183, 93 and 224 Siege Batteries), 1916-19 http://davidgibbins.com/journal/2019/3/12/gunner-charles-gerald-cook-royal-garrison-artillery-183rd-93rd-and-224th-siege-batteries-1916-19
[8] Croix de Guerre – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croix_de_Guerre
[9] We remember George Skeer – Lives of the First World War https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/4058315
[10] German attack at St Quentin, March 1918 https://www.dublin-fusiliers.com/battaliions/1-batt/campaigns/1918-kaisers.html
[11] Operation Michael, The Thirty Worst and an Advanced Dressing … https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/operation-michael-the-thirty-worst-and-an-advanced-dressing-station/
[12] Pozières British Cemetery & the Pozières Memorial https://thebignote.com/2016/08/03/pozieres-british-cemetery-the-pozieres-memorial/
[13] Pozières Memorial (CWGC) – Remembering the Fallen https://www.ww1cemeteries.com/pozieres-memorial.html
[14] Royal Garrison Artillery – First World War Casualties https://astreetnearyou.org/regiment/161/Royal-Garrison-Artillery
[15] 220th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/220th_Siege_Battery,_Royal_Garrison_Artillery
[16] May 2012 compressed.pub http://2mnbattery.org/newsletter/2012/May_2012.pdf
[17] Plain Text UTF-8 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/51776/pg51776.txt
[18] Battle Honour ST QUENTIN – German Spring Offensive 1918. https://www.royal-irish.com/events/battle-honour-st-quentin-german-spring-offensive-1918
[19] Full text of “”The cannoneer.” Recollections of service in the Army of the Potomac” https://archive.org/stream/cannoneerthe00buelrich/cannoneerthe00buelrich_djvu.txt
[20] List of recipients of the Croix de Guerre – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recipients_of_the_Croix_de_Guerre
[21] Acta Militaria http://nelsonlambert.blogspot.com/2011/07/
[22] Battle of Saint-Mihiel – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Saint-Mihiel
[23] March | 2015 – Historical Digression https://historicaldigression.com/2015/03/
[24] History of the Royal Regiment of Artillary, by Francis Duncan https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/58209/pg58209-images.html