He came from a large family. He had 2 brothers, Archie Walter & William & 5 sisters, Marjorie, Ida Winifred, Isabel, Annie Maude & Gertrude.
In 1911 he is living with 3 of his siblings, his father Alfred, a publican & his mother Mary Elizabeth at Rads End, Eversholt, Woburn. George is 16 years old & working as a general labourer.
My Grandfather, Robert Wright, volunteered to join the army on 12 June 1914 – the day before his 26th birthday. This was clearly before hostilities had been declared, but by this time it was looking more and more certain that a war was approaching. I have a copy of his four year Attestation Papers, and according to these he was first assigned to the 5th Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment, but he was discharged in January 1915. I do not know why - the records have presumably been lost.
Walter enlisted into the 5th Bedfordshire Regiment in 1914, aged 32, at the outbreak of war. He died February 1917, and is buried in Rothesay Road Cemetery, Luton.
Son of John and Emily Smith of Luton, he was married to Nellie Smith, and was father to Arthur and Winnie Smith.
Lieutenant Shoosmith was the son of Francis Shoosmith a Straw Hat Manufacturer of Hart Hill, Luton. He was killed on 21st August 1915, aged 21.
Lieutenant Shoosmith arrived in Gallipoli with the 5th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment on 29th July 1915 and survived the initial attack on 15th August at which his conduct was noted as being exceptional.
