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Rank : Lance Corporal

Army Number : 15192

Unit : 9th Bn

Biography :

Home address given as Castle Donington, Leicestershire. Enlisted at Loughborough in September 1914, and served with the 9th Battalion The Leicestershire Regiment during World War One, entering France on 29.7.1915. Despite a lengthy charge sheet for several incidents of misconduct, he was appointed Unpaid Lance Corporal on 10.11.1915 and Lance Corporal on 28.9.1916. He was awarded the Military Medal (London Gazette 27.10.16, page 10484), possibly for his actions at Bazentin Wood on 14/15.7.1916. Near Noyelles in France, on 16.2.1917 he was wounded, suffering multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, arms and legs. He was taken to a Casualty Clearing Station where he Died of Wounds two days later on 18.2.1917, aged 22 years. He is buried at Bethune Town Cemetery, Somme, France.

He is commemorated on the Castle Donington War Memorial, the Methodist Chapel there and on the Roll of Honour in St Edward's church.

The following information was produced by Marigold Cleeve. Principal Researcher Loughborough War Memorial Museum.

George William Staples was born in Edwalton, Nottinghamshire, in the summer of 1894 and baptised on 28th October 1894 at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene,
Keyworth, Nottinghamshire. He was the son of Alfred John Staples and his wife Mary Ann (née Simpson) who were married in the registration district of Shardlow in late
1893. George had one brother Frederick and one sister Ethel. Another sister Frances died in infancy in 1897.

George’s father was a farm labourer and in 1901 the family lived at Forest Cottage, Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. In 1911 they were living in St. Ann’s Lane,
Castle Donington, Leicestershire, and young George was also a farm labourer like his father. By 1917 his parents had moved to Clapgun Street, Castle Donington.
George enlisted in Loughborough on 8 th September 1914. Aged 20 he was 5ft 8in tall, with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. As Private 15192 he was
sent to the Leicestershire Regiment Depot at Glen Parva.

On 24 th September George was posted to the 9 th (Service) Battalion which was being raised as part of Kitchener's Third New Army and joined 23rd Division as Divisional Troops. The units of the Division began to assemble at Bullswater and Frensham in Hampshire and the King, Queen and Princess Mary visited the fledgling Division on 29th September. On 3 rd October 1914 George was deprived of ten days pay for misconduct. In early December, as the weather worsened, the Division moved into Aldershot and then, at the end of February 1915, to Shorncliffe in Kent. On 3 rd March George was in trouble again, court-martialled, and given 56 days detention for misconduct.

In April 1915 George’s battalion became part of the newly established 37th Division of Kitchener's 2nd New Army and the Division began to concentrate on Salisbury Plain. George was encamped on Perham Down. On 17 th May George received another nine days punishment and on 19 th June twenty-one days detention for drunkenness. Just under two months later, on 29th July 1915, George was sent to France, travelling from Folkestone to Boulogne on the SS St. Seiriol. Initially the 37th Division concentrated near Tilques. The 9th Battalion then moved via Watten, Houlie, St. Omer, Eecke and Dranoutre to Wulverghem and Bienvillers-au-Bois, a short distance from the front line. In the months that followed the 9th Battalion did tours in the trenches, alternating with the 7th Leicesters who relieved them. They were Involved in operations in Bailleul, Le Bizet, Armentières, Mondicourt, Beauval and Berles-au-Bois. By 10th November 1915 George’s behaviour had considerably improved and he was appointed as an unpaid Lance Corporal.

In April 1916 the 9th Leicesters moved to the Doullens area for six weeks for cleaning up, resting and training. In mid-May they returned once more to the trenches in the Bienvillers-Bailleulmont sector. In June there was a series of nightly excursions into No-Man's Land with patrols attempting to gather information on the enemy's dispositions. On other occasions there were working parties out repairing the British barbed wire entanglements. The situation became increasingly hazardous as the month wore on when the Germans began to use a new and more accurate type of trench mortar.

On 20 th June 1916 George became unwell and on the following day he was admitted to No. 50 Field Ambulance with a fever and suspected gonorrhoea. On 23 rd June he was admitted to No. 19 Casualty Clearing Station at Doullens. From there, on 24 th June, he was transferred to No. 23 Ambulance Train and sent to No. 9 Stationary
Hospital at Le Havre. He was not discharged until 13 th August when he was sent to the base at Calais. He therefore missed some fierce fighting in the early part of the
Somme Offensive. When he rejoined the 9 th Battalion they were in the Arras area, in the trenches or resting in billets at Arras.

On 1 st September 1916 George was slightly wounded in the knee but returned to duty the following day. After a few days training and resting the battalion marched to
Frévent and entrained for Edgehill station near Dernancourt. On 16th September the battalion moved to bivouac near Fricourt and after two days moved again to
bivouac in front of Bernafay Wood. On 24th September the battalion moved up to the assembly trenches in front of Gueudecourt in preparation for an attack on the following day and were heavily shelled in the process. From 25th to 28th September the battalion took part in the Battle of Morval and sustained considerable casualties - 12 officers and 274 ordinary ranks. On 25th September George was admitted to No. 15 Casualty Clearing Station at Hazebrouck as he had been wounded in both hands. On 28th September 1916 George became a paid Lance Corporal. On 2nd October the battalion moved from Bernafay Wood to Bernancourt and on 4th October entrained at 'Edgehill’ station for Longpré-les-Corps-Saints and then marched to Francières. On 7th October they entrained at Pont Remy for Béthune and marched to Fouquières-lès-Béthune. On 10th October they marched to Sailly-la-Bourse and went into the support trenches in the Hohenzollern Sector where trench mortars from the enemy did considerable damage. Between 11th October and 15th December the battalion was either in the front line trenches, in the support line or in reserve. On 15th December the battalion was ordered to move to the Montmorency Barracks in Béthune where they stayed until
20th December when they marched to billets in Raimbart. The battalion remained in Raimbart in training until 27th January 1917. On 28th January the battalion marched to Lillers and entrained for Proven, from where they marched to billets in Houdeque-Watou. Training ensued until 13th February when they returned by train to Béthune. On 15th February they were back in the trenches in the Hohenzollern Sector and subjected to heavy enemy artillery fire. On 16 th February George received multiple gun shot wounds in his chest, arms and legs near Noyelles and was taken to No. 33 Casualty Clearing Station at Béthune. He died there from his wounds at 4.25pm on 18th February 1917, aged 22.

George was buried in Béthune Town Cemetery, Somme, France, Grave VI. B.65.

This page was last edited on 16.8.2019.

Date of Birth : 1895

Place of Birth : St. John's, Edwalton, Nottinghamshire

Date of Death : 18.2.1917

Place of Death : France

Civil Occupation : farm labourer

Period of Service : 1914-17

Conflicts : WW1

Places Served : France and Flanders