Second Lieutenant George Richard Pedrick
12th (Service) Battalion (East Anglian), Suffolk Regiment
Killed in Action
Date of Birth: 1891
Place of Birth: Teignmouth, Devon
Date of Death: 22 March 1918 aged 36
Buried: Remembered on Arras Memorial, France; Seafront Memorial and St. Michael’s Church, Teignmouth, Devon
Awarded the 1914-15 Star, The British War Medal and the Victory Medal
Second Lieutenant George Richard Pedrick age 36.
Born in 1881 the son of James and Isabella Pedrick, Hollands Road, Teignmouth, Devon.
The 1891 census showed him living with his widowed mother, his siblings, James (a cabinet-maker), Thomas (a hairdresser), Beatrice, Charles and Ada) and their 30 year old lodger, Gertrude Winsor in Boscawen Place, West Teignmouth. On this census he is listed as born in Teignmouth.
By 1901 he was 19 and living at 10, Third Avenue, Devonport as a boarder. He was working as a clerk on the book stall at Smiths at the London and South Western Railway Station.This census shows him as having been born in Paignton.
He married Mary Fraser in 1908 at Fulham, and in 1911 was living in Ealing with wife Mary and his baby son Stuart, he is employed by a newsagent as a bookstall clerk. His birthplace on this census is listed as Teignmouth.
Suffolk Regiment
Cap Badge
George had been on active service for 18 months in France with the Sussex Regiment, service number 3/10016, as a sergeant; he returned to England in June to take up a commission and begin further training.
He was gazetted Temporary 2nd Lieutenant from 30 May 1917 with 12th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment.
George was serving with his regiment which was in camp on 21st March when the Germans launched the big Spring Offensive; he was one of many who were killed in action on 22 March 1918 defending the line at St. Leger near Bapaume.
Remembered on Arras Memorial, France; Seafront Memorial and St. Michael's Church, Teignmouth*
"6 30 pm Later we saw the enemy advancing and driving our troops back.
Our forward coys were ordered to fall back to the Army line. The message was delivered but too late as no one from the 3 coys returned."
Excerpt from Suffolk Regimental War Diary
"Town learnt end of last week death of Lt George Pedrick, Suffolk Regt. Son of late J and Mrs Pedrick, Dawlish Rd. Formerly employed by W H Smith and Son."
Teignmouth Post
5 April 1918
"Rose from ranks and was commissioned from the field"
Teignmouth Post
5 April 1918
*(Initials on Memorial CH or GH do not match with anyone on Commonwealth War Graves Commission. I believe the confusion was with George Richard and his brother Charles Henry who was seriously wounded in October 1918 but survived.)
