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Skipper Basil Robert George R.N.R.
Basil George was the son of a fisherman and born in Winterton, Norfolk
in 1892. By the time that war broke out in August 1914, he had held a skipper’s
ticket for over a year. He was not among those caught up in the early months
and did not join the R.N.R. until 8th May 1915. As might have been expected,
he went to Halcyon, the Auxiliary Patrol base in Lowestoft and was
warranted as a skipper. Seemingly, he
was appointed to a drifter, Silver King, immediately – possibly for
training. Anyway, discharged on May 25th, he was sent down to Portsmouth, on Victory’s
strength, in command of a brand-new drifter, W.P.G. He remained with
her when re-deployed to Poole, with White Oak as her parent ship, as
of 9th February 1916. By October of that year, she was shown in a
confidential document as unarmed and not fitted as a net-drifter, but
by early January 1917 she had been armed with one six-pounder. Also, she had
been fitted with wireless-telegraphy gear by the autumn. On 21st January 1918
W.P.G. was shifted to the Dover Straits, where her parent ship was Attentive
III. There until the end and after, Skipper George was demobilised on
30th May 1919.
Two years later, while having been an employee of H.F. Eastwick,
described as a ‘boat owner’, at the time of the census he was out of work.
But, in September 1939 he was a skipper of a herring drifter once again.
Married, his address was in Winterton-on-Sea. Apparently, Mr. George died in
Norfolk in 1971. |
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war Return to the British War Medal 1914-20 |
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