- See George Fred Andrew’s entry on the Board of Trade’s Ancestry public tree.
- This information updates the group’s previous research published on the former DTI website (now archived by the National Archives).
- Do you have any more information about George Fred Andrews? If so the War Memorial Research Group would love to hear from you.
Name recorded on Board of Trade Memorial: G. F. Andrews
Born: October 1892, Sherborne, Dorset, England
Date of Death: 21 August 1915
Age at death: 22
Service, Regiment, Corps, etc: Dorset Yeomanry
Unit, Ship, etc: 1/1st Battalion
Enlisted:
Rank: Corporal (Service No: 369)
Decorations: WW1 Campaign Medals (British War Medal, Victory Medal and 1915 Star)
War (and theatre): WW1 (Dardanelles)
Manner of Death: Killed in action (KIA)
Family Details: Son of Edward G and Susan L Andrews, 22 Ludbourne Road, Sherborne
Residence:
Home Department: Board of Trade – Labour Department (South Western Division)
Civilian Rank:
Cemetery or Memorial: Green Hill Cemetery, Turkey (IX.1.17); Board of Trade War Memorial; Memorial to the Staff of the Ministry of Labour, Caxton House, Tothill Street, London SW1; Sherborne War Memorial
Biography:
George Fred Andrews was born in about October 1892 in Sherborne, Dorset. He was baptised on 9 March 1894. His parents were Edward George Andrews (1857-1931) and Susan Louisa Brook (1855-1933). His father, George was a platelayer foreman.
George came from a large family – he was one of 10 children (including 4 children who died in infancy). His siblings included Charles Henry Andrews (1882-1940), William George Andrews (1877-1946), Sarah Louisa Andrews (1879-1881), Lily Flora Andrews (1881-1943), Bertie Edward Andrews (1884-1885), Rose E Andrews (1888-1933) and Emily May Andrews (1891-1974).
In the 1901 census, the Andrews family are living at 7 Horsecastles in Sherborne. George is aged 9 living with his parents and siblings. By the 1911 census, George is aged 18 and the family are living at 174 Horsecastles. This is possibly the same house, but renumbered or alternatively somewhere further down the same street.
Growing up, a possible early photo of George as a young boy features him as one of a group of young lads who performed some traditional maypole dancing in honour of Sir Walter Raleigh in 1905.
In the 1911 census, George has started working as a clerk in a solicitor’s office. He subsequently joined the Labour Department at the Board of Trade working in a local Labour Exchange.
George enlisted as a corporal in the Dorset Yeomanry, which was a natural unit for him to enlist with, given it was headquartered in his home town of Sherborne . The regiment had a heritage dating back to the Boer War and during WW1 expanded into three sections. George was part of the 1st line of the regiment which consisted of men who were willing to be mobilised to serve overseas. According to his WW1 Medal Index Card he was deployed overseas to fight in Egypt from 23 April 1915 until 17/18 August 1915 when the Battalion (as part of he 2nd South Midland Brigade) was sent to fight at Gallipoli. The campaign in the Dardanelles was a disaster for the battalion.
George died just 4 months later on 21 August 1915 whilst fighting at Gallipoli which was a strategic location that controlled the Ottoman straits. It was here on 21 August at Scimitar Hill that George was one of 45 Dorset Yeomanry men who were either dead or missing in the worst days fighting throughout WW1 for the Regiment.
“Lieutenant Colonel Troyte Bullock who was the officer in charge of the Dorset Yeomanry, writing in the front line trenches to Lieutenant Colonel Colfox, recalled just a week after the attack on Scimitar Hill on August 21, 1915 what had happened. He says: “We left our comfortable quarters in Egypt, Friday, August 13 and evacuated to Alexandria that night, embarking the next morning on a very overcrowded transport put to sea that evening 14th reached our base on the peninsular on the mooring on the Wednesday, the 18th, disembarking via launches and barges under shell fire. Luckily none of our brigade were hit, but one boat had a very narrow squeak. Rested in camp all thru the day Thursday 18th. On Friday 19th as night fell the brigade fell in an advanced to a place on the seashore 56 (m). I rested that night on a very narrow piece of beach under cover of the cliffs packed together like herrings. The only consolation was that some got to bathe in the sea. That afternoon (Saturday, 21st) we paraded with the rest of the Division about 3pm and marched across two miles of flat salt marsh in attack formation to a hill crossing the open ground. The enemy opened on us with heavy shrapnel fire and the division lost several officers and 60 men. On reaching the cover of the hill and calling the roll, seven men only of the Dorsets were reported wounded so the Regiment was most fortunate. At 4.30pm an order came for the Brigade to advance and attack another hill about two miles distant, the infantry brigade to be on our right to join in the attack on the Turkish trenches on the hill. We moved off 1st Berks Yeo, 2nd Dorsets 3rd line Bucks Yeo. through the scrub, some burnt and some burning from the effects of shell fire on the hill from our guns and over undulating ground. We crossed our advanced trenches held by SW Borderers and Inniskilling Fusiliers, who had already made an attack, got on to the hill but had been driven out by shell fire previously. They were a good deal shaken and knocked about. The Turks kept up a heavy fire probably long ranged, indirect, and the bullets seemed raining on us. We did not get many casualties until the edge of the plateau forming the top of the hill was reached. Then we halted under cover of banks and partial cover thrown up by the infantry attack and re-organised for the attack. Some infantry (about 20-30) under a captain joined us and our Brigade ordered the push line now composed of Dorset, Bucks and Berks, to attack. Directly the push began, a hellish fire from machine guns and rifles opened from the trenches but some of the attackers got in. However, in charging the trenches they had bombers and machine guns placed in the angles and they could not maintain themselves. The brigade on our right never got within a mile of the hill to support us, so the attack failed and we all breeched on the edge of the plateau and awaited reinforcements provided by the infantry. I collected stragglers from the brigade accounting to some 50 men and held to 3.30am. Some infantry then appeared and took over the line. Colonel Grenfell of the Berks having sent word that he had retreated to the line of infantry trenches previously crossed in the attack. I marched the remainder back there and then on the cover of the hills from where the second attack had started, where I found a field general dressing station. Our casualties were very large.” The casualties were indeed very large – seven officers and 119 men had been lost.” (Extracted from article published on 28 February 2014 ‘Yeoman died under Turkish gunfire’ in Lyme Regis and Bridport News)
According to a local newspaper report published on Friday 10 September 1915 in the Western Gazette, the Dorset Yeomanry’s fighting at Gallipoli was the battalion’s first experience of trench warfare. Corporal Andrews wrote to his parents shortly before his death, with an extract shared in the paper that vividly describes his experience:
“We have landed in Gallipoli,” he relates, “but not in the firing-line yet, although, no doubt, we had a taste of shell-fire, and I can tell you I ‘ducked’ pretty quickly when the first one hit….We have had quite a number of casualties in our division already. We had plenty of pick and shovel work. I find it rather trying but no doubt shall soon get hardened to it, if I live long enough. It did seem strange at first to see shell and shrapnel come along. I had the boys fly around me once and very much surprised to fine I was still all right. It will be a happy time when the war is over and we get back again. I shall try and do my duty as well as I can and must trust to God for the rest.”
According to the Western Chronicle (reporting on 24 September 1915), George was reported dead by the War Office with his parents receiving an official notification which was followed shortly after by a report that he was only wounded. This must have added to lots of confusion, anger and upset amongst his parents giving them false hope.
George is buried at Green Hill Cemetery, Gallipoli. He is also remembered on the Sherborne War Memorial in his home town and by two Civil Service War Memorials in London – the Board of Trade War Memorial and the Memorial to the Staff of the Ministry of Labour.
Board of Trade War Memorial 