CarrollGH

The Men

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T UW Y

CARROLL, GEORGE HENRY

Rank:
Service No:
Date of Death:
Age:
Regiment/Service:

Grave Reference:

Rank:
Service No:
Date of Death:
Age:
Regiment/Service:
Grave Reference:
Text on stone:

Corporal
5337571
17/09/1944
27
Devonshire Regiment 2nd Bn.
II. A. 4.
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning We will remember them

Additional Information:
Son of George Paul and Florence Elizabeth Carroll, of Bethnal Green, London.

Died in the opening battle of Market Garden, on the road toward Valkenswaard.

My uncle, Cpl George Henry Carroll, is buried in the Valkenswaard War
Cemetery & I would like to share his story with you.
 
George was born in 1917. His father, also named George, was Irish; he
left Ireland, looking for work, & in Wales he met a young lady, Florence,
who was in service there. They courted, married, & moved to London,
where there were more jobs. They lived in Bethnall Green in the East
End of London, moving to Hackney, also in the East End, after the war.
The East End then was extremely run down, it’s inhabitants were very
poor, & life was very hard.
 
Their son George was the first of their six children. His siblings were:
Patrick, John, Mary, Albert & David – Albert was my Dad.
My Dad said that he always looked up to George because he was
clever, level-headed, conscientious & took responsibilities seriously.
When George left school – which would have been at a much younger
age than happens now – he became an apprentice silversmith. He
worked hard & learnt skills quickly. We have one item that George made
during this time, a typically English thing – a teapot. The hallmarks on
the teapot show that it was made in London in 1933, so George would
have been 16 years old when he made it.
 
Before war broke out, George had become engaged to be married.
Sadly, we know nothing of the girl he was engaged to, as my Dad could
never remember, being 13 years younger than George. In 1939, George
& his brother Patrick responded to the call & joined up.
Initially George was with the Royal Berkshire regiment, which was sent
to France. However, in 1940, they had to be evacuated, along with many
others, from Dunkirk.
 
By 1943, George had been transferred to the 2nd battalion The Devonshire Regiment & was now a Corporal. The Regiment served in Sicily & Italy until 1944, when they returned to England to prepare for Operation Overlord – D day.
On the 6th of June 1944, George crossed the channel & landed on Gold beach with the Battalion. They moved into France, liberating towns & villages.
George was involved in Opertaion Market Garden: My Dad insisted that he was among the troops transported by air, who parachuted in to join the operation. We are researching more into this at the present time.
 
On the 17th September 1944, George died. The Ministry of Defence in London told his parents that he was killed by a sniper whilst crossing an open area of land, close to some woodlands.
Florence never came to terms with this loss, compounded as it was by the loss of her second son, Patrick, also. Patrick, aged 22 years, had been killed in Normandy on 5th
August 1944, just six weeks before George. Consequently our grandmother would not talk to us much about them, always referring to them as “the boys” & stopping any
converstaions.
 
The two brothers exchanged occasional letters during the war & had become very close, due to their shared experiences. George had been informed of his brother’s death; in his last letter home, George wrote that he had been “saddened to hear about Patrick” & asked how Florence, George Snr & the family were coping.
 
A letter from George’s CO to his parents after his death stated that George had always been concerned about his comrades & had applied himself completely to whatever he was commanded to do.
George Snr & Florence visited George’s grave here in 1948, & met the family who were then caring for it. In 1951 my parents, Albert & Ivy, married & spent their 
week-long honeymoon in Valkenswaard, staying with the family who looked after the grave. Paul & I, along with two of our children, visited it 13 years ago. We, along with my brothers & sisters & their families, are very grateful for, & humbled by, the honour & respect given by the people of Valkenswaard, past & present, to all the brave young men buried in the war cemetery.
 
We speak of & remember George & Patrick with gratitude, respect & awe for what they did. All these years later there is no-one living who knew or met George, but we will continue to research to find out as much as we can about those brave young men, our uncles, & endeavour to live our lives in ways that would make them proud.
 
A letter from George’s CO to his parents after his death stated that
George had always been concerned about his comrades & had applied
himself completely to whatever he was commanded to do.
George Snr & Florence visited George’s grave here in 1948, & met the
family who were then caring for it.
In 1951 my parents, Albert & Ivy, married & spent their week-long
honeymoon in Valkenswaard, staying with the family who looked after
the grave.
Paul & I, along with two of our children, visited it 13 years ago. We,
along with my brothers & sisters & their families, are very grateful for, &
humbled by, the honour & respect given by the people of Valkenswaard,
past & present, to all the brave young men buried in the war cemetery.
We speak of & remember George & Patrick with gratitude, respect &
awe for what they did. All these years later there is no-one living who
knew or met George, but we will continue to research to find out as
much as we can about those brave young men, our uncles, & endeavour
to live our lives in ways that would make them proud.
 

From the service records of George Henry Carroll, the following account can be reconstructed.

George Henry Carroll was born on 26 May 1917 in Penthewibet, Glamorgan, South Wales. In civilian life he worked as a silversmith. He enlisted in the British Army on 26 April 1939 and joined the Royal Berkshire Regiment.

He embarked for service in North West Europe on 2 June 1944. On 31 August 1944 he was transferred to the Devonshire Regiment. His service records also note that he completed a course at the 8th Corps Wireless Signal School.

According to his service records, he was 5 feet 4 inches tall, with fair hair and brown eyes.

George Henry Carroll was killed in action on 17 September 1944.

George and Florence Carroll, the parents of Corporal Carroll.

The family caring for George’s grave in 1951.

Original gravesite along the road from Belgium towards Valkenswaard.

George and Florence Carroll visit their sons grave on the 17th of september 1948.

The Royal Berkshire Regiment in 1940. George 3rd from the left, top row.

George and Florence Carroll with the family caring for their sons grave (Thea, Loes and Maria) on the 17th of september 1948.

George (senior) and Florence Carrolle with George ans his brothers Patricj and John. George is on the left.

George’s brother Albert & his wife Ivy at the Valkenswaard War Cemetery in 1951.