L/8374 Pte George Anderson, 2nd Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)

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Arrived overseas: 12 August 1914.

Connection: Large archive of medals and ephemera.

I have dozens of items relating to George Anderson's service before and during the First World War, and also for his son, Lewis Anderson, who died as a prisoner of war of the Japanese during the Second World War. Despite the wealth of material, however, I can only guess at who George Anderson might be in the various photographs I have of him. He is possibly this man, who appears in a number of photos, but he could also be one of several other candidates who also appear multiple times:


My hunch, however, is that this is the man in question. George was born on the 6th October 1879 and he enlisted with the Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) in May 1905. He served in India and appears to have been an active member of the Old Contemptibles Association, appearing in a large group photo of OCA members taken at Aldershot in 1927.

George served overseas in France from the 12th August 1914, later transferring to the Army Ordnance Deparment, and serving with the Traction Branch Company. Pre-war, George belonged to the Army Temperance Association and was a member of the battalion football team, as evidenced by some of the photos in my collection.



 

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