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George Maddocks | Christleton

George Maddocks

Name:
George Maddocks
Birth Place:
Cross Hill, Malpas, Cheshire.
Regiment:
Cheshire Regiment
Rank:
Private
Battalion:
11th Battalion
Number:
4038
Medal Card Reference:
WO 372/13/ 77697
Enlistment Location:
Chester
Death Date:
7th October 1916. Age 17 years
Death Location:
France & Flanders. London Cemetery. Longuval, Somme, France.
Theatre of War:
Western European Theatre
Commemorated:
Commemorated on War Memorial and Church Memorial at St James’ Christleton.
On the Memorial board at Christleton Institute.
Memorial Service held at St James' October 19th 1916

George Maddocks was born in 1899, according to the 1911 census. This makes him around 17 at the time of his death and therefore underage. He joined the 11th Service battalion of the Cheshire Regiment, at or not long after it was founded on 17th September 1914 as part of Kitcheners drive to massively increase the size of the army.

The battalion trained on Codford St Mary, Bournemouth and Aldershot before being sent to France on 26th September 1915. It had fought on the Somme since the first day of the battle, being cycled in and out of the trenches. It was on one of those cycles on 7th October 1916 that George died. The battalion diary gives us no clue as to what happened as it is apparently a quiet period in the line – it just says 2 other ranks killed and 14 wounded, in a 48 hour period. George has a marked grave in London Road Cemetery in the Somme. The fact that most of the graves in this cemetery were brought together well after the war indicates that he was buried somewhere else before being moved.

He lived at Bradley, Cross Hill, Malpas with parents William and Alice Maddocks. William from Hampton, and Alice from Larkton in Cheshire. On the 1911 Census they had four surviving children including, George 12, Frank 10 and Annie 7yrs.

  • St. James' Church, Christleton War Memorial

    St. James' Church, Christleton War Memorial

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George Maddocks | Christleton