GREEN, George (of Mansfield)

The Military Medal

Royal Fusiliers (sergeant)

By Ralph Lloyd-Jones

George Green was born in Mansfield in 1890, son of an iron worker. The family moved to Chesterfield when he was still a baby, but he grew up to follow his father into the foundry as a pipe-fitter. In May 1909 he married Florence Tagg at Newbold and they had three children before the Great War, Arthur (b. September 1909), Cyril (1911) and Winifred (1913). At the time of the 1911 census George was unemployed and they were living in Arundel Street, Newbold Moor.

At Chesterfield on January 11 1915 he volunteered to join the Royal Foot Artillery as a driver. He was immediately posted to their depot in Newcastle-on-Tyne, but transferred to the 5th Royal Fusiliers in June that year. This was a London regiment with many battalions, but they may have required George Green for specialist skills – some army documents describe him as a ‘Miner’. In May 1916 he was promoted to Lance Corporal and moved to 22nd Battalion, going to France on June 16 the following year. He was a full Corporal by September, Sergeant in February 1917.

On July 20 1917 he received a thigh wound which led to his being sent back to Blighty on his 26th birthday eight days later. This was shortly before the opening of the Passchendaele Offensive (3rd Ypres), but since he was also awarded the Military Medal, Sgt Green must have distinguished himself in some preliminary frontline fighting. He slightly blotted his military career by ‘Being in Swindon without a pass’ in December 1917, for which he was ‘Severely Reprimanded’ by the Colonel. Green was DISCHARGED surplus to Military requirements (having suffered impairment since entry into the Service) on 18 December 1918, but qualified for a pension of six shillings and sixpence a week. After the war he and Florence had more children and ran a fish & chip shop in Chesterfield. He died aged only 63 in 1953.