Private George H Mallison, 23612, 2nd Bn, Leicestershire Regiment
- Amanda T
- Sep 22, 2022
- 3 min read
Identification
I am confident that this is the correct man, he is the only George H. Mallison recorded by the CWGC and I haven’t found another George H Mallison with links to Liverpool. His connection to St James’ Church is unknown, although he did have links to Liverpool.
Family Information
George Harker Mallison was born Oct 29th 1891 in Liverpool, his parents were Benjamin and Emily Ann Mallison. He was christened on 24th Feb 1899 in Polesworth, Warwickshire. The christening record shows that Benjamin was a mill manager.
The 1891 census shows that Benjamin and Emily Ann Harker lived at Trensall House, Queen Street, Polesworth. Benjamin was manager of a flour mill and was born in Todmorden, Yorkshire. Emily's maiden name was Uttley.
The 1900 Kelly's directory of Warwickshire shows that Benjamin Mallison was the general manager of Mallebey's Roller Flour Mills Ltd in Polesworth.
In the 1901 census the family were split up and visiting people, Benjamin visiting a family in Polesworth (their surname appears to be Hawley) and Emily and their daughter Dorothy (born 1895) visiting a family in Todmorden. I have found a likely entry for George visiting Joseph and Mary Jane Glover in Liverpool.
In 1911 the family had moved to Ireland, presumably following Benjamin's job. The census shows that they were living in a house with 13+ rooms, a coach house, piggery, fowl house and coal house, it had 22 windows on the front! It was very close to the flour mill where Benjamin worked as manager. George was 19 years old and working as a Commercial Clerk in a biscuit factory.
Military Information
George’s service papers have not survived so we have little information about his military service.
His medal index card shows that he was in the Leicestershire Regt as a Corporal with the regimental number 23612. He was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal. This tells us that he went overseas sometime after 31st December 1915.
Other sources show that he was in the 2nd Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment.
Death and Commemoration
George H Mallison died of malaria on 13th November 1918, just 2 days after the armistice. He died in the 74th Casualty Clearing Station, Alexandria, Egypt and was buried in Tripoli, Libya then later exhumed and buried in the Beirut War Cemetery, Lebanon. I am not sure why he was moved so far, as there are CWGC cemeteries in Alexandria, if anyone knows why this might have happened I’d be interested to find out.
CWGC records show that the family had an inscription added to the headstone which read:
One of the Best that God could lend
As well as being commemorated on the St James’ Church memorial in Liverpool, George H Mallison’s name is on the Cottage Hospital memorial in Market Harborough, Leicestershire and the Market Harborough civic memorial. The CWGC records show that his parents lived at 6 Westway, Sawbridgeworth, Herts but this record would have been compiled in the early 1920s, at the time of his death they lived in Preston (see newspaper notice below).
The following notices were printed in the Tamworth Herald by his family:
15/11/1918 Tamworth Herald
MALLISON - In honoured and treasured memory of our dearly-beloved George (Corpl. George H Mallison, 2nd Leicestershire Regt.), who died at Tripoli, ~November 13, 1918. "One of the best that God could lend." - "Sadly missed and truly mourned" by his mother, father, and sister.
07/12/1918 Tamworth Herald
MALLISON - On the 13th November, at Alexandria, Egypt, of malaria, George Harker Mallison, 2nd Leicestershire Regt., aged 27 years, only and well-beloved son of B. and E. Mallison, 43 Garden Walk, Ashton, Preston.
"Oh for a touch of that vanished hand and the sound of a voice that is still." "Some day we will understand."
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