Pte. G.W. Brown

FIRST NAMES: George William

UNIT: 1/8th Durham Light Infantry

NUMBER: 3854

STATUS: Killed in Action

DATE OF DEATH: 29th September 1916

CEMETERY OR MEMORIAL: The Thiepval Memorial

AGE: 20

George was the youngest son of William and Mary Brown (nee Raper) who lived near the Green in Romanby. He was born on 2nd April 1896 and was baptised at Northallerton Church on 1st May 1896. George was also the cousin of Herbert Playforth, whose name also appears on the Northallerton Memorial. George's father, William, and Herbert's mother, Emily, were brother and sister.

In 1901 he was living in Romanby with his father, who was working as a Farm and Highway Labourer, his mother and two brothers and two sisters. By 1911 all the other children have left home, George was working as a farm servant at Broomfield House and his father was working as a labourer for the Rural District Council.

He enlisted in Durham, though according to the Army records he was living in Willington at the time he enlisted. He had moved there from Romanby, where he had been a member of the Romanby Church Choir for several years.

On 29th September 1916 the 1/8th DLI formed part of 151 Brigade of 50th (Northumbrian) Division and were in the front line, known as Flers Trench just South of the village of Le Sars, on the Somme battlefield.

The exact circumstances of his death are unknown, but he died, aged 20, and his body was never recovered. His name is commemorated on the Memorial to the Missing at Thiepval.