George Walton's Story.
Almost a year after their wedding, on 9 April 1893, Jessie (nee Walton) and her husband Harry Garft welcomed their first child, George Walton Garft. George was born at 48 Poplar Grove, Urmston, Manchester and was baptised on 7 May 1893 at St Clement’s, Urmston. In 1895, Harry was appointed as licensee of The Platford Hotel, Stretford Road, Hulme (a hotel owned by Messrs Walton & Co who owned a number of Manchester hotels and who were cousins of Jessie) and the family moved into the hotel.
His brother Thomas Herbert Garft (“Bertie”) was born at the Platford in 1895 and died there 8 July 1900 aged 5 from meningitis. His sister Nora Garft was born at the Platford on 23 October 1896. Another sister Elsie Garft was born at the Platford on 25 March 1898, and then Edna Garft was born at the Platford on 29 June 1904. By 1909, George had left school and was employed as an insurance clerk for the Vulcan Boiler and General Insurance Company of King Street, Manchester.
In 1910, Jessie, Harry and the children (George now 16, Nora 13, Elsie 11 and Edna 5) left the Platford Hotel and Harry became landlord of The George and Dragon, originally an 18th century staging post for coach and horses, which was situated at 22 Manchester Road, Altrincham. The George and Dragon was not a Walton & Co hotel. Towards the end of 1911 the Garft family were on the move again, this time leaving Altrincham for Knutsford, just a few miles south. The Garfts had decided to give up the George and Dragon and take on the Legh Arms Hotel which was situated on Brook Street. The Legh Arms had been an inn since the 16th century, reputably established in 1584, and had been called ‘The Sword & Serpent’ until the late 1850’s. The sword and serpent form part of the armorial crest of the Legh family whose ancestral home, since the 14th century, was Norbury Booths Hall, Knutsford.
On 3 September 1914 George Walton Garft volunteered joining the Manchester Regiment, 17th (Service) battalion, “D” company. He was 21 years of age and is described in his service records as being 5ft 4inches tall with blue eyes, a fresh complexion and dark brown hair. 17th Manchester Regiment were formed in Manchester 28 August 1914, by the Lord Mayor, at first, they were based at Heaton Park, then moved to Belton Park, Lincolnshire in April 1915 where they joined the 90th Brigade, 30th Division. From there they moved to Larkhill, Wiltshire in September for final training and proceeded to France on 6 November.
For the first six months they were located in the Maricourt defences near the River Somme. On 1 July 1916 (the first day of the Battle of the Somme) George was detailed with a wiring party to consolidate their position near Montauban. Whilst erecting the barbed wire, he was hit in the right shoulder by a machine gun bullet, and in the typical reporting style of the time, according to a report in the Manchester Evening News, “…managed to crawl two miles, for the most part over dead Germans.” to seek medical assistance. George was sent to the 5th General hospital at Rouen where they extracted the bullet: “… shoulder wound of such severity will preclude removal to England for some while.” 
After approximately three weeks he was transferred back to the UK to the 40-bed Murrell Hill Auxiliary Hospital in Nelson Street, Carlisle, Cumberland where he was visited by his parents, Jessie and Harry Garft in the August. They sent a postcard to daughter Nora to let her know where they were staying and reported “George doing splendid (quite frivolous)”.
By mid-October 1916 George had been moved to the auxiliary hospital at Englethwaite Hall, Armathwaite, Eden Valley, Cumberland. He sent a postcard of a view of Wetheral from Corby to his mother: "My dear Mother, this is a photo of a pretty little spot about 4 1/2 miles from Carlisle. I have been there several times. Once to tea at Mr Carr's house. You know, the biscuit makers. I have received a pc from Father this morning and do hope that Bournemouth will build him up. Enclosed is a photo of all the "up" patients and some of the staff about the end of August. I am stood up on the back row next to Nurse Carr. There is no more news from the present but will write again soon. I am going on quite well but am afraid I shall never ride a motorcycle again. Ta ta. Your loving son, Gud".
George required two further operations on his shoulder in 1917, one on 21 February “sinus scraped out under chloroform” and one on 5 April “1 ½ inch taken off the humerus, X-Ray having shown necrotised bone” and it is thought that these procedures took place at the First Western General Hospital, Fazakerley, Liverpool, a large hospital which had over 4,000 beds.
On 3 August 1917, George Walton Garft was discharged from the Army with a pension as “no longer fit for service” and he returned to the Legh Arms.
Just two weeks after the Armistice was signed George Walton Garft, died on 26 November 1918. He was only 25 years of age. Within the family he was said to have contracted ‘flu whilst waiting in the rain for his girlfriend, a nurse (could this have been the Nurse Carr he mentioned in his postcard?). His death certificate shows the cause of death as “1) influenza 2) pneumonia”. The injuries that George sustained in France added to his inability to cope with the flu’ infection and therefore George was remembered on the list of fallen on the Knutsford War Memorial (now Centennial War Memorial, Library Garden) and the Over Knutsford War Memorial on Mobberley Road.
The Cheshire Roll of Honour would like to thank Jane Goodier for the information and pictures of her great uncle George.