Ashtead War Memorials - WWI
Private George Weller
13th Bn Royal Fusiliers
A Private in the 13th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers, George Weller, Service No.52429 was killed on August 4, 1917, aged 30, and is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panels 6&8.
George’s entry in Soldiers died in the Great War
1914-1919 states:
Name: George Weller
Residence: Wealdstone
Death Date: 4 Aug 1917
Death Location: France & Flanders
Enlistment Location: Hanover
Rank: Private
Regiment: Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)
Battalion: 13th Battalion
Number: 52429
Type of Casualty: Killed in action
Theatre of War: Western European Theatre
His enlistment in 'Hanover' requires further investigation.
https://archive.org/stream/royalfusiliersin00onei/royalfusiliersin00onei_djvu.txt
TRAINING BATTALIONS 13th
The 13th Battalion was formed in much the same way as the 12th. It was
assembled in October, 1914, the first CO being Colonel F. P. Hutchinson.
After a period of training the battalion left for France in July, 1915,
where it performed distinguished service. Colonel Des Voeux took the
unit to France, and remained in command until August, 1916, when he was
evacuated sick.
The War Diary for George's 13th Battalion is at the
National Archives, Kew, London. That could throw some light on the
actions of the unit at the time of his death:
37 DIVISION, 111 INFANTRY BRIGADE:
WO 95/2532/2 13 Battalion Royal Fusiliers 1915 Aug. - 1918 Jan. 1914-
1922
As of 27 Feb 2014 this record has not been digitised and cannot be
downloaded. A request can be made for a quotation for a copy to be
digitised or printed and sent to you.
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=C7354102
A Passionate Prodigality by Guy Chapman is said
to be excellent account of 13th Royal Fusiliers by one of its members.
Covers 1914-18.
http://www.amazon.com/A-passionate-prodigality-Guy-Chapman/dp/B000OL0TN8
The Royal Fusiliers have a memorial at Holborn in London, commemorating the 22000 men of the regiment who lost their lives in the Great War. http://www.victorianweb.org/sculpture/toft/10.html
George is mentioned briefly in Proceedings, Leatherhead & District Local History Society, 2004, p217 in which he was claimed by the Weller family as the son of William & Emily of Ashtead, and had emigrated to Canada.
His Family
George was the son of the late William and Emily Weller and husband of Ada Ellen Weller of 9 Gretta Road, Wealdstone, Harrow, Middlesex.
George Weller was baptised in Ashtead on September 4, 1887, son of William James and Emily Weller. His father William was born in Oxshott, baptised in Stoke D’Abernon and from 1871 to 1875 lived in New Zealand. On his return to Britain William found work as a shepherd for Sir Thomas Lucas – in 1881 living in Betchworth but moving to Ashtead by 1891 when he was a shepherd for Pantia Ralli. William married Emily Champion (born Upton, Berkshire) in the Lambeth area in 1879.
In 1901 13-year old George was in Ashtead with his parents in Park Avenue South (near 30 Acre Farm). He worked in the Kodak works in Ashtead and in 1908 moved to their works in Wealdstone, Harrow, Middlesex.
Following their father’s example, George and his brother William James Weller sailed to Canada on the SS Corsican, leaving from Liverpool and arriving in Quebec on April 31, 1910. The following year (June 5, 1911) George married Ada Hellen Wooster (born Pinner, Middlesex) in Toronto, the marriage certificate identifying their fathers as William James Weller and George Wooster, their mothers as Emily Champion and Annie Shepherd.
The 1911 Canadian census finds George and Ada at 372 Bathurst Street, Toronto (and his brother William in Vancouver). George and Ada had a daughter Phyllis born in Toronto on June 10, 1912.
George returned to Britain early in WW1 and was again working for Kodak in Wealdstone when he enlisted in the army. He is not on the Wealdstone War Memorial.
text: Ann Williams & Frank Haslam. If you can add to this page
please contact the editor.
page added 27 Feb 2014: 28 Nov 17