He was born in Boston Union Workhouse, Lincolnshire in 1884 the son of Susannah Owen a domestic servant when she was about 15. The 1891 census shows that she was again in the workhouse with a one year old Percy. At this time George was living with his aunt Frances Lineham, nee Owen in Great Grimsby.
Susannah married Thomas Bridgeman about 1894 and went on to have at least five more children. At the 1911 census Percy was living with them employed as a stoker on ships.
George married Annie Elizabeth Wiseman at Woodham Ferrers 11th September 1909 and went on to have three children, Grace Ethel born 21st November 1909, Leslie George 23rd April 1913 and finally Beatrice Constance on 8th November 1914 who sadly died aged four and was buried in St Mary’s Churchyard 9th November 1918. At this time they were living in Hullbridge Road in what is now South Woodham Ferrers
When war broke out in 1914 Lord Kitchener appealed for volunteers and George rallied to the cause joining the 10th (Service) Battalion Essex Regiment early in November of that year at about the time that Beatrice was born. The battalion joined the 53rd Brigade, 18th (Eastern) Division and landed in France on 26th July 1915.
They were soon in action at Thiepval Wood in August and then took part in various actions culminating in their part in the Battle of the Somme where they were involved in the attack on Montauban Wood on 1st July 1916. They continued fighting on and off on the Somme until they were involved in the taking of the German Staufen Riegel (Regina Trench) near Thiepval.
Although the battalion does not appear to have been involved in an attack on 31st October their trench did receive a direct hit from a German 77mm shell which killed one officer and may have been the cause of George’s death. Alternatively he may have been killed whilst out on patrol.
George is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme which contains the names of 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African Forces who died on The Somme and have no known grave. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, Victory Medal and the British War Medal.
George’s widow Annie, having suffered the double tragedy of the death of their youngest daughter Beatrice from influenza and bronchitis on 6th November 1918 just two days before her fourth birthday , subsequently married James Staffill in 1920, with whom she had two further children, and lived in East Hanningfield where she died in 1965 and is buried in All Saints churchyard.