Person

Born in Stockton on Tees in 1891, George Hunter was working at Anderson’s Foundry, Port Clarence, when he enlisted in the 4th (Reserve) Battalion DLI at the end of August 1914. Once trained, Private Hunter was sent with a draft of reinforcements to join ‘D’ Company 2nd Battalion DLI in France in August 1915, after the battalion had suffered many casualties earlier in the month in heavy fighting at Hooge, near Ypres.

In March 1916, George Hunter was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment for desertion. A month later, on 23 April, he again deserted and was able to cross the Channel without proper papers – one of the very few soldiers who achieved this during the war. Still wearing his uniform, he was finally arrested by police on 20 May at Easingwold, north of York. Taken back to Belgium, George Hunter was tried by court martial on 22 June 1916.

During this trial, the court heard that Private Hunter had ten previous convictions for absence and that he had also been sentenced to three months’ Field Punishment No:1 for “carelessly wounding himself in the left hand”. In his defence, George Hunter told the court that he had a “wandering mind”. He was, however, found guilty of desertion and sentenced to death.

After Private Hunter’s court-martial, Major General Ross, commanding the 6th (Infantry) Division, wrote that, though the 2nd Battalion DLI’s overall discipline was good, “there has been a prevalence of desertion and I consider that an example is necessary”.

George Hunter was executed on 2 July 1916 near Ypres. He was 25 years old and the first DLI soldier to be executed during the First World War.

George Hunter is buried at Esquelbecq Military Cemetery, France, in the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

As George Hunter had been executed, no campaign medals were sent to his widow. She was, however, awarded a full pension in May 1918.

Where to look for more information about this person:

Julian Putkowski & Julian Sykes, Shot at Dawn (Barnsley, 1998), pp. 100-101.

9170 Private George Hunter’s Army Service Record has survived and is held at The National Archives. This record may be seen on the Ancestry family history website: http://www.ancestry.com/

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=BritishArmyService&rank=1&new=1&so=3&MSAV=1&gss=ms_r_db&gsfn=george&gsfn_x=XO&gsln=hunter&gsln_x=XO&_F8007A65=9170&dbOnly=_F8007A65%7C_F8007A65_x&_F8007A65_x=1&dbOnly=_F0007CF4%7C_F0007CF4_x&dbOnly=_F0007E0C%7C_F0007E0C_x&uidh=000

Commonwealth War Graves Commission
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/25252/HUNTER,%20GEORGE

Civil Parish: Stockton on Tees

Birth date: 1891

Death date: 2-Jul-1916

Armed force/civilian: Army

Residence: Stockton on Tees.
21 Beechwood Road, West Hartlepool.

Employment: Iron dresser, Anderson’s Foundry, Port Clarence.

Family: Married to Eleanor Hunter (née Butcher), with two children, Florence and George.

Military service:

4/9170 Private George Hunter; 4th (Reserve) Battalion DLI 1914; 2nd Battalion DLI, 1915-1916.

Medal(s): As he had been executed, the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal were not sent to his widow.

Memorial(s): Esquelbecq Military Cemetery, France.

Gender: Male

Contributed by Durham County Record Office | Durham at War Volunteer | R Johnson