Pte 235302 George Galley

• Age: 20
• From: North Heigham, Norfolk
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Thursday 6th September 1917
• Commemorated at: Voormezeele Cem Encl No. 3
  Panel Ref: XV.E.12

George Galley was born in the second quarter of 1897 at North Heigham, Norfolk, resided in Norwich and was the son of Samuel Galley and his wife Maria (nee Gooch) who were married in Norwich in the fourth quarter of 1874. 

The 1901 Census shows the family are living at 175 Armes Street, Heigham, Norwich. His father, Samuel is shown as a Bricklayers labourer born in Norwich in 1855, whilst his mother is shown as having been born in Norwich in 1856. George is not shown as present at the home on the day that the Census was taken. His siblings all born in Norwich are listed as; Sarah b.1882 a boot eyeleter, Robert b.1885 a boot finisher, Samuel b. 1887 a boot maker, Thomas b.1892 and Herbert b.1894.

On 1901 Census, George is aged 3 and  living with his sister Mary Ann at house 27 On the Green, Bunwell, Norfolk.

His father, Samuel, died in September 1909.

The 1911 Census shows the family living at 15 Waddington St Norwich. His mother Maria is a widow aged 56, born 1855 and is receiving court help. She advises that she had been married for thirty six years and had ten children of which one had died. The children still resident at theh property were listed as, Samuel aged 25, born 1886 a Laster, Thomas aged 21, born 1890 occupation Laster but unemployed at the time of the Census, Herbert aged 18, born 1893 is a errand porter and George aged 14, born 1897 is an errand boy.

George enlisted in Norwich and served originally as Private 242230 in the Yorkshire Regiment. He was subsequently transferred and was serving in the 20th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 235302 when he was killed in action on the 6th September, 1917 aged 20 during the Third Battle of Ypres.

He now rests at Voormezeele Cemetery Enclosure No3, Belgium.

The Voormizeele Enclosures (at one time there were a total of four, but now reduced to three) were originally regimental groups of graves, begun very early in the First World War and gradually increased until the village and the cemeteries were captured by the Germans after very heavy fighting on 29 April 1918.

Voormezeele Enclosure No.3, the largest of these burial grounds, was begun by the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in February 1915. Their graves are in Plot III, the other Plots from I to IX are the work of other units, or pairs of units, and include a few graves of October 1918. Plots X and XII are of a more general character. Plots XIII to XVI were made after the Armistice when graves were brought in from isolated sites and smaller cemeteries to replace the French graves (of April and September 1918) that were removed to a French cemetery. These concentrated graves cover the months from January 1915 to October 1918, and they include those of many men of the 15th Hampshires and other units who recaptured this ground early in September 1918.

There are now 1,611 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in Voormezeele Enclosure No.3. 609 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 15 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Other special memorials record the names of five casualties whose graves in PHEASANT WOOD CEMETERY could not be found on concentration.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Soldiers Effects and Pension to his mother Maria

George is also commemorated on the Norwich Roll of Honour.

We currently have no further information on George Galley, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.