Longland, George

George was born at St Ives, Huntigdonshire, on 7 April 1889 the son of George and Shirley (nee Pammenter) Longland.  He was a pupil at the Merchant Taylors School in Ashwell, but left school at age 13 and became a carter and labourer on a farm.

George enlisted at Royston, Hertfordshire in 1907 and served with the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment, Regimental number 204600, (formerly 8787, and 5925).  The 1911 census shows him with the 2^nd Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment embarked for Bermuda and Jamaica.  The Battalion had returned to England by 1913.  He was posted to the Egyptian Theatre of War where he was killed in action at Sheikh Hasan near Gaza on 3 November 1917.

George was awarded the 1914 Star, the Victory Medal and the British War Medal.

He is buried in the Gaza War Cemetery, Palestine and commemorated on the St Mary’s Church Ashwell Roll of Honour and the Ashwell War Memorial.

He was born in Warboys, Huntingdonshire district Cambridgeshire, but was brought up in Ashwell by his grandmother.