George Gibson (1898-)
Consett steelworker's son joined CEF in May 1918
Born in Stannifordam, near Castleside in the parish of Knitsley in January 1898 George was the youngest of the four children of steelworker William Gibson and his wife Betsy Ann. He was baptised two months later in the Primitive Methodist Chapel at Shotley Bridge.
On 3rd May 1902 William and Betsy and their four children, aged from three to ten years old, arrived at Quebec City, Canada aboard SS Tunisian from Liverpool. Four years later they had settled to a farming life in Gunton, Manitoba and their family had grown with the addition of young James.
As a farmer in Manitoba, George would have been exempt from conscription under the Military Service Act which came into effect in November 1917; although the rules changed the following year. It is likely that George was a volunteer when he enlisted on 31st May 1918, a month after his older brother John Thomas was killed at the Battle of Arras fighting with the CEF. George joined the Depot Squadron, 34th Fort Garry Horse at Winnipeg with the regimental number 2147877. Two months later they sailed with the 104th Reinforcement Draft of the 34th Battalion from Montreal to Liverpool and on arrival were posted to the Canadian Reserve Cavalry Regiment at Shorncliffe, Kent.
George never left England. He was posted to the Machine Gun Corps three weeks before the Armistice and attached to Maresfield Camp in East Sussex. In March 1919 he volunteered for the Canadian Army Service Corps at Bramshott, Hampshire for duty with the YMCA and two months later again volunteered and was attached to the Canadian Army Medical Corps for duty at 16th General Hospital, Orpington, Kent.
In October 1919 George Gibson returned to Canada on the SS Royal George sailing from Southampton to Halifax, where he was demobilised on 8th November.
He returned home to the family farm in Manitoba and in 1935 George married Canadian born Mona Ross. They had four children; his second daughter being born in 1946. After that there is no definite information about George Gibson, but he and Mona may have left farming and moved to Ontario.
Civil Parish: Consett
Birth date: 21-Jan-1898
Armed force/civilian: Army
Residence: Stannifordam, Consett (birthplace)
Oliver Terrace, Consett (1901 census)
Gunton, Manitoba (1906 census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta)
Rockwood, Manitoba (1921 Canadian census)
Employment: Farmer (1906 census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta)
Family: Parents: William Gibson, Elizabeth (Betsy) Ann Gibson (nee Cuthbertson)
Siblings: Mary Gibson, Catherine Hannah Gibson, John Thomas Gibson
Wife: Mona Gibson (nee Ross)
Children: Verna Gibson, Joan Gibson + two
Military service:
2147877
Private 34th Battalion Fort Garry Horse
Canadian Army Service Corps
Canadian Army Medical Corps
Medal(s): British War Medal
Gender: Male
Contributed by Jean Longstaff, Durham | Jim Busby, Canada