George Bebbington's Story.
George was born in 1887 in Church Minshull, near Crewe, Cheshire.
The 1891 census shows the Fairhurst family as residing at Higher Elms Farm in Church Minshull. Father, also called George, Mother Isabella and sons George Bebbington (3) and Joseph Charles (1).
George senior was a wheelwright and carpenter, but there was a military connection in his family background. He had been born in Dublin whilst his father served there with the 5th Dragoon Guards.
Isabella was a local girl, born and raised in Minshull Vernon.
By 1901 the family had moved to the Estate Cottage on Middlewich Road, another son is recorded William Waterhouse Fairhurst (9).
George Bebbington Fairhurst enlisted on 30th October 1915 joining the Royal Garrison Artillery. After training, he embarked at Southampton on 16th February 1917 with the 248th Siege Battery, landing at Le Havre the following day. His Battery was moved up towards the Arras front, where preparations for a Spring Offensive were in full swing.
Siege Batteries RGA were equipped with heavy howitzers, sending large calibre high explosive shells in high trajectory, plunging fire. The usual armaments were 6 inch, 8 inch and 9.2 inch howitzers, although some had huge railway- or road-mounted 12 inch howitzers. As British artillery tactics developed, the Siege Batteries were most often employed in destroying or neutralising the enemy artillery, as well as putting destructive fire down on strongpoints, dumps, store, roads and railways behind enemy lines.
On 27th March 1917 just 39 days after entering the theatre of war George was killed in action.
His body lies in Ecoivres Military Cemetery, Mont-St. Eloi, Pas-de-Calais, 8 kilometres north-west of Arras. Ecoivres is a hamlet lying at the foot of the hill over shadowed by a huge ruined Abbey.
Records show that George left effects of a small metal watch, two letters, a wallet and some photographs. He had £6.10shillings to his name, which he bequeathed to his mother Isabella.
His two brothers, Joseph Charles and William Waterhouse, also enlisted both into the Royal Field Artillery. Both survived.
William died in 1958 aged 66 and Joseph died in 1972 aged 83 years.