Emmerson | George Arthur
Biography
George Arthur Emmerson (Service No. 5835491) was killed in action on 14 October, 1944. He was a Private in the 1st Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment. He was initially buried at Cemetery Th. J. Janssen, Overloon and subsequently re-interred on 15 May, 1947 in grave III. C. 10 at the Overloon Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. His inscription reads “Peace, Perfect Peace”.
Family history
George Arthur Emmerson’s parents were Harry and Maggie Mabel (or Mabel Maggie) Emmerson.
Harry was the son of Joseph and Emma Emmerson (nee Wayman) who had married in 1858 in the district of Ipswich in Suffolk. Joseph was born in 1834 and Emma in 1835. They spent their married life at Near Valley Farm, Black Bird Corner in Framsden, Bosmere, Suffolk. Joseph was an agricultural labourer. They seem to have had children as follows: Charles (1858), William (1860), John (1863), Nathan/Matthew (1866), Reuben (1870) and Harry (1872). Emma died in 1878 aged just 44 when Harry was only 6. By 1891 only Harry was still at home with Joseph and was an agricultural labourer. Harry joined up in the Norfolk Regiment on 11 October 1891 (Service No. 2990) when he was aged 18 and 4 months. He was finally discharged on 8 October 1903. During this time, he was in India from 22 February 1894 to 4 October 1899.
Mabel Maggie Tilney Saunders was the daughter of John Saunders and Sarah Tilney. She was born in 1887 and was baptised at St Mary’s Benhall, Suffolk. John Saunders was born in 1843 and was an agricultural labourer while Sarah was born in 1844 – both in Benhall. They were living at Benhall Green, Benhall, Plomesgate in 1891 and 1901. They had children as follows: Ottewell G (1879), Dava F (1882), Mabel M (1887).
Harry Emmerson married Mabel Maggie Saunders in the Plomesgate district of Suffolk in spring 1908. George’s birth appears to have been recorded as Arthur George Emmerson in spring 1909 in the Blything district of Suffolk. They had three more children as follows: Bessie M (1910), Cyril F (1914) and Stanley (1916). The first three were born in the Blything district while Stanley was born in the Plomesgate district.
In 1911 Harry and Mabel were living in Knodishall, Saxmundham, Suffolk. Harry was now an engineer’s wood sawyer. His birth date was given as 1877 rather than 1872. With them were George and Bessie, both born in Knodishall.
However, by 1921 the family seems to have fallen on hard times. Mabel was living as an inmate in Bulcamp Workhouse, near Halesworth. This had been built in 1764 to provide poor relief for about 400 inmates. Alterations were made in 1836 as a result of the New Poor Law and the workhouse was operated by the Blythling Poor Law Union. It established a deliberately harsh regime where husbands were separated from wives and children from parents. Well into the twentieth century, a retired District Nurse was quoted in the 1970s: “my villagers … were scared stiff at the bare mention of Bulcamp”. Because the able-bodied preferred low wages outside the workhouse to the ‘prison with a milder name’, Bulcamp increasingly tended to serve the needs of the infirm, aged, orphaned and sick. The hospital function developed almost by accident from the sick wards of the workhouse. The Board of Guardians did not disappear until the Local Government Act of 1929, when authorities were encouraged to turn workhouses into hospitals. After 1930, the workhouse was renamed Red House but Bulcamp’s high walls did not come down until after 1945.
It isn’t known where Harry was at this time, but the four children found themselves at Hope House in Yoxford. This had been opened by the Blythling Poor Law Union in 1913 as a children’s home. It was located in Yoxford High Street and in 1924 it could accommodate 35 children with Miss E Dowsett as Superintendent. George and Bessie are shown as having been born at Coldfair Green while Cyril was born at Snape and Stanley at Sternfield. Coldfair Green is near Knodishall and Sternfield is near Benhall while Snape is not far from either. The children ranged from George at 12 years old down to Stanley at nearly 5.
Harry Emmerson then died in Blything district in 1926 with his age given as 49. This would leave Mabel with four children aged 10 to 17.
By 1939 George (shown as born 14 March 1909) was living in the household of Percy G Horner and his wife Mary E M Horner at the Manor House High Street, Middleton which is close to Saxmundham and Yoxford. Percy was a Master Grocer born in 1895. George was working as an assistant in Retail Grocery. There too were two sons of Percy’s – John S Horner aged 25 who was a Grocer’s Apprentice and William Horner who was 6 and at school.
At this time, Mabel (shown as widowed and born 14 April 1887) was living at The Green, Sibton, which again is near Yoxford. She appeared to be living on her own. Three houses away from Mabel, a Reuben Emmerson was shown living on his own, though was married. He was born 26 April 1869 and was a retired farm worker. He was Harry’s brother.
Bessie M Emmerson was living at Hospital Farm, Dunwich, Suffolk in 1939. She was shown as born 27/9/1910 and was working as a Domestic Servant. In the same household were Edwin J and Elizabeth Clarke (aged 64) and (aged 65) and Walter J Baldock (aged 51). Edwin was an arable farmer and Walter was a Head Teacher.
Neither Cyril, who would be 25, nor Stanley, who would be 23, were seen in the 1939 Register. A Private C. Emmerson (Service No. 5826577) and a Private S. Emmerson (Service No. 5826798) – both of the Suffolk Regiment – were awarded the India General Service Medal 1936-1939. The Service Numbers would suggest that Cyril enlisted between August and September 1935 (aged 19) while Stanley enlisted between August and October 1936 (aged 19/20). The India General Service Medal was awarded for minor military campaigns on the North-West Frontier of India between 1936 and 1939. It was the 2nd Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment which was stationed in India from 1929, so Cyril and Stanley would have been in this Battalion. The 2nd Battalion was still in India at the outbreak of WW2, spending the early years of the war mainly deployed on internal security duties. In 1943 the battalion transferred to the 123rd Indian Infantry Brigade, part of the 5th Indian Infantry Division and served with them in the Burma Campaign. In 1944 the battalion was flown to Imphal to clear Japanese positions. Little more in known of Cyril and Stanley’s time in the Regiment – but both were still serving in 1941 when the India General Service Medal roll was compiled and, from the medal roll, Cyril appears to have been discharged on 25 February 1945 and Stanley on 28 August 1944 – rather unusually while the war was still in progress. George’s nephew, Alan, who is Cyril’s son, can confirm that his father was stationed in the North Western Frontier in India.
Alan was able to provide photos of men who are believed to be Cyril and/or Stanley. One shows a rather young man in a khaki drill uniform with a flat topped solar topee which includes the regimental castle patch. This was brought in for wear in 1937 but, by mid-1941, its castle patch was removed when they were training in the Tochi Valley, so the photo must have been taken before 1941. Another shows an older man in a dark blue ‘patrol’ uniform which is typical of the smart pre-war ‘walking out’ dress, often procured through the local regimental contractor. A group photo shows members of the 2nd Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment in the khaki drill uniforms which were not worn at home. They are typical of those seen between 1937-42 of men of the 2nd Suffolk serving in India. Many are shown wearing the India General Service Medal ribbon. Initially it was thought that all three brothers appeared on this photo, but it is likely that it only includes Cyril and/or Stanley.
Military career
It isn’t known at what date George joined the 1st Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment but it was clearly after September 1939.
The 1st Battalion was stationed in Devonport as part of the 8th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division and served with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France from late 1939 to May 1940. The division was commanded by Major-General Bernard Montgomery. With the rest of the BEF, it was evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940. The next four years were spent training in the United Kingdom for the invasion of Normandy in 1944, otherwise known as D-Day, on 6 June. The 1st Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Richard E. Goodwin, landed on Sword beach and was involved in attacking and taking the Hillman Fortress on D-Day itself. They continued to progress through France and Belgium, including severe battles which cost many lives at Chateau de la Londe and at Tinchebrai. There is a casualty record indicating that George was wounded sometime around 29 June to 14 July, which would have been just after the battle to take Chateau de la Londe. However, he must have recovered as he continued on into the Netherlands.
The Battalion reached Molenhoek just below Nijmegen by 1 October. From there they swung round to the south, passing through Mook and Rijkevoort to approach occupied Overloon from the north. The aim was to attack Overloon and clear the enemy salient west of the River Maas in what was known as Operation Aintree. The attack on Overloon was delayed by heavy rain and very muddy conditions until noon on 12 October. The plan was that the 1st Suffolk Regiment would attack on the right while the 2nd Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment would proceed on the left. Early that morning the Battalion moved through St Anthonis and Oploo to an assembly area to attack Overloon. An artillery barrage moved forward 100 yds every 5 minutes with the Battalion following behind. The Battalion reached their objective that day which was just to the west of Overloon but with 10 men killed and 57 wounded. During that night the Battalion was subjected to fairly heavy shell and mortar fire. The following day the Battalion moved its position slightly east, astride the main road from Overloon to Venray. This was a more secure position than the previous night as other regiments had cleared the nearby woods of enemy. Even so, four men were killed and 20 wounded that day. Although on 14 October the Battalion suffered rather less shell and mortar fire than the previous days, nevertheless 5 men were wounded and 2 were killed, one of whom was George Arthur Emmerson.
His address for probate purposes was given as Sibton Green near Yoxford, Suffolk. It was Percy George Horner who administered his estate.
The last time Cyril saw his brother George was when they ran in to each other at a station in passing as they travelled off to different postings. Cyril and Stanley both survived the war.
Mabel M Emmerson died in 1961, aged 74 in Ipswich district, Suffolk with an address given of Church Cottage, Sibton, Suffolk. Her son, Cyril Frederick Emmerson administered her estate. He was described as a petroleum depot hand.
Bessie M Emmerson married Harry Stokes in 1947 in Blyth district, Suffolk. They are not thought to have had any children.
Cyril F Emmerson married Winifred M Clements in Blyth district in 1947. They had children as follows all in Blyth District: Alan (1948), Ronnie (1950), Kenneth (1953). Cyril died in 1998 in Deben district of Suffolk aged 73. His birth date was given as 12/11/1914. Alan and Kenneth are known to have married and had children, still in much the same area of Suffolk as their parents had lived. It isn’t known whether Ronnie married.
No marriage for Stanley Emmerson has been found.
