George Charles Bartlett - Gunner - Royal Field Artillery – “D” (Howitzer) Battery, 121st Brigade
 |
| Thomas Bartlett and Annie Beer marriage certificate Holy Trinity Church, Swansea |
George Charles Bartlett was born in Swansea in 1895, the son of Thomas Bartlett and Annie Beer, whose marriage was recorded at Holy Trinity Church, Swansea, in 1870.
 |
| 1901 Census |
At the time of the 1901 Census, the Bartlett family were living at 53 St. Marlborough Street, in the parish of St. James, Westminster, London. George’s father, Thomas, aged 31, was employed as a fireman with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (M.F.B.), while his mother, Annie, was also 31 years old.
The couple had two young children living at home: George Charles, aged four, and his younger brother, Reginald Thomas, who was just two years old.
Also present in the household was Thomas’s married sister, Jane Beer, aged 25, together with her ten-month-old son, George Gould.
 |
| 1911 Census |
By the time of the 1911 Census, the Bartlett family had returned to Swansea and were living at 2 Penbryn Terrace. Thomas, now aged 41, had left his employment with the fire brigade and was working as a grocer, while his wife, Annie, was also 41 years old.
Their two sons were still living at home. George Charles, now aged 14, and Reginald Thomas Beer, aged 12, were both attending school.
The household also included two boarders. Joseph Stark, aged 25, was a railway clerk who had been born in Birmingham, while James Robert, aged 27, was also employed as a railway clerk and had been born in Abererch, Caernarfonshire.
Having spent part of his childhood in London before returning to Swansea, George would have experienced two very different environments during his early years. His father’s employment as a fireman and later as a grocer reflected the family's changing circumstances, while George and his younger brother continued their education in Swansea.
Following the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, George entered military service, joining the Royal Field Artillery. He served as a Gunner with “D” (Howitzer) Battery, 121st Brigade, a unit responsible for providing artillery support to British troops on the Western Front.
The Royal Field Artillery played a vital role throughout the war, operating field guns and howitzers to bombard enemy positions, destroy defensive fortifications and provide covering fire for advancing infantry.
Howitzer batteries were particularly important in trench warfare, as their guns could fire shells at a high angle, enabling them to strike enemy trenches, dugouts and positions concealed behind obstacles.
The work of an artilleryman was both physically demanding and extremely dangerous. Gun crews were frequently exposed to enemy counter-battery fire, as German artillery attempted to locate and destroy British gun positions.
During the summer of 1917, British and Commonwealth forces were engaged in the Third Battle of Ypres, also known as the Passchendaele campaign, which began on 31st July 1917.
The offensive involved prolonged and intense artillery bombardments, with British gun batteries providing essential support to the infantry advancing across the heavily defended landscape of the Ypres Salient.
It was during this period of fierce fighting that George sustained the wounds that would ultimately claim his life.
 |
| Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects |
Although the precise circumstances in which he was wounded remain unknown, his date of death places him among the casualties of the fighting in Flanders during the Third Battle of Ypres.
 |
| George Charles Bartlett Dozinghem Military Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium credit - findagrave |
The cemetery was established in connection with the casualty clearing stations operating in the area during 1917. These medical facilities received wounded soldiers from the front line, where they were treated and, whenever possible, prepared for evacuation to hospitals farther behind the fighting.
The name Dozinghem was one of several informal names given by British soldiers to medical facilities in the region, alongside Mendinghem and Bandaghem.
George's burial at Dozinghem Military Cemetery is consistent with his recorded death from wounds, although the precise medical circumstances of his final days are not known.
For his parents, Thomas and Annie, and his younger brother, Reginald Thomas, back in Swansea, George's death brought the devastating loss of a son and brother who had left his family to serve his country.
George had been just 14 years old at the time of the 1911 Census, still attending school and living with his family at Penbryn Terrace. Only six years later, he was serving as an artilleryman on the battlefields of Belgium, where his young life was tragically cut short.
Comments
Post a Comment