Thank you to Margaret Dennis for this research.
Private George Henry Sadler , Service number 5991, served in the 1st Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment. He was aged 32 when he was killed in action on 7th November 1914. His name is entered on Panel 6 of the PLOEGSTEERT MEMORIAL at Hainaut in Belgium.
He was married to Elizabeth M. Sadler, of “Midlothian,” Edward Rd., Farnham, Surrey. They married in the 3rd quarter of 1911 in Petersfield, Hampshire.
George was born in Dorking, and the 1881 census records him as 9 months old, so he would have been born in the summer of 1880. The census shows his parents were George Sadler (age 36) a boot maker, and Katherine Sadler (age 34). There were three children older than George – Ethel aged 5, Alice aged 3 and Lillian aged 2.
The 1901 England Census shows George Sadler, born in Dorking, Surrey, aged 19, as single. He was in Hampshire at Aldershot Military in Stanhope and Wellington Lines, the District Provisional Battalion and Imperial Yeomanry.
Private Sadler’s medal roll for WW1 shows that he joined the Western European theatre of war on 12th September 1914. His battalion, the 1st Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment, was part of the 11th Brigade in the 4th Division of the Army.
The 4th Division, initially planned to be part of the original British Expeditionary Force, was at the last minute held back in England to counter any German landing. A decision was soon taken to despatch it to France, where it remained on the Western Front throughout the war.
It took part in most of the major actions, including: The Battle of Le Cateau , The Battle of the Marne, The Battle of the Aisne and The Battle of Messines in 1914.
The 4th Division was part of II Corps in the Battle of Armentieres from 13 Oct to 2 Nov 1914, which was just before Private Sadler was killed.
| Born | Dorking, Surrey | |
| Lived | Netley Abbey, Hampshire | |
| Son of | George and Katherine Sadler | |
| Husband of | E. M. Sadler, of Midlothian, Edward Rd., Farnham, Surrey. | |
| Enlisted | Southampton | |
| Regiment | 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment | |
| Number | 5991 | |
| Date of Death | 7th November 1914 | |
| Place of Death | Ploegsteert Wood, Belgium | |
| Cause of Death | Killed in Action | |
| Age | 32 | |
| Memorial | Ploegsteert Memorial, Comines-Warneton, Hainaut, Belgium. |
