L/Cpl
George Palmer
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 21/11/1895 |
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Place of birth: Newington, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: 270 Bonnington Road, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom |
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Profession: Clerk |
Army information
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Country: Scotland, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Lance Corporal |
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Service number: 40222 |
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Enlistment place: Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Royal Scots Fusiliers, 1st Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 26/09/1917 |
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Place of death: Hill 40, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 21 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 60 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
George was born on 21 November 1895 in Newington, Edinburgh, the son of Charles and Joanna Palmer. He had four brothers and two sisters. The family later lived at 270 Bonnington Road in Edinburgh. George enlisted in Edinburgh and became a Lance Corporal with the 1st Battalion Royal Scott Fusiliers, part of the 8th Brigade of the 3rd Division. This unit was part of the standing army and had been deployed since 14 August 1914.
On 26 September 1917 at 5.50 am, the 3rd Division attacked Zonnebeke. The 76th Brigade moved towards the ruins of the village. The 8th Brigade moved along the railway line to the heights north of Zonnebeke; the 2nd Battalion Royal Scotts on the right and the 8th Battalion East Yorks on the left. The 1st Battalion Royal Scott Fusiliers followed in second line. By 07h30, the 2nd Royal Scott's were on their objective line, after which the 1st Royal Scott Fusiliers streamed through them to Hill 40 near Zonnebeke station. George's unit advanced under heavy German machine-gun fire across the passable ground along the railway embankment. By evening, they had occupied a line from the flanks of Hill 40 to a pillbox on the railway. An attempt to capture the rest of the hill failed and a German counterattack drove the British off the rise. The losses were heavy: eight officers including Lt-Col. Teacher were killed, eight other officers were wounded. 53 other ranks were killed, 317 wounded and 67 missing.
George fell on 26 September 1917, the day his unit tried to take Hill 40. His body was not found or not identified. He is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the missing in Passchendaele. George had become engaged before his departure. His fiancée, Ettie, would never marry and remained friends with George's parents and sisters. Six months later, grief struck the Palmer family again. George's younger brother Alexander Charles was killed on 5 April 1918 while fighting near Tilloy in France. He was also reported missing and is inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial.
On 26 September 1917 at 5.50 am, the 3rd Division attacked Zonnebeke. The 76th Brigade moved towards the ruins of the village. The 8th Brigade moved along the railway line to the heights north of Zonnebeke; the 2nd Battalion Royal Scotts on the right and the 8th Battalion East Yorks on the left. The 1st Battalion Royal Scott Fusiliers followed in second line. By 07h30, the 2nd Royal Scott's were on their objective line, after which the 1st Royal Scott Fusiliers streamed through them to Hill 40 near Zonnebeke station. George's unit advanced under heavy German machine-gun fire across the passable ground along the railway embankment. By evening, they had occupied a line from the flanks of Hill 40 to a pillbox on the railway. An attempt to capture the rest of the hill failed and a German counterattack drove the British off the rise. The losses were heavy: eight officers including Lt-Col. Teacher were killed, eight other officers were wounded. 53 other ranks were killed, 317 wounded and 67 missing.
George fell on 26 September 1917, the day his unit tried to take Hill 40. His body was not found or not identified. He is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the missing in Passchendaele. George had become engaged before his departure. His fiancée, Ettie, would never marry and remained friends with George's parents and sisters. Six months later, grief struck the Palmer family again. George's younger brother Alexander Charles was killed on 5 April 1918 while fighting near Tilloy in France. He was also reported missing and is inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial.
Sources 7
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1st Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO95/1432/3). https://nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Ancestry, George Palmer https://ancestry.com/ Sources used |
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British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 372). https://nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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John Buchan, the History Of The Royal Scots Fusiliers (1678-1918) (Thomas Nelson and Sons, Ltd,London-Edinbugh and New York, 1925) 383-390. Sources used |
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McCarthy Chris, Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account (London, Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018) 96-97. Sources used |
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Soldiers Effect Records (National Army Museum, Chelsea (NAM) 1901-60; NAM Accesion Number: 190102-333). https://nam.ac.uk/ Sources used |
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War Office and Air Ministry: service medals and award rolls, First World War (the National Archives, kew (TNA), WO 329). https://nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1635942 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=59111dc5-9499-4bc3-b6f2-93bc050b863c |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/3374631 |