George Clewer: – [Heath 1909–1912]
George Clewer was a RAMC man who died of dysentery in St Andrew’s Hospital, Malta, shortly after being posted to Gallipoli.
He was born on and is recorded in the 1901 Census as living at 6 Parkinson Lane with his mother, Amy, and a servant.
He attended Heath from –. The Heath register lists the occupation of his father (presumably dead) as commercial traveller. He left school to become an apprentice worsted spinner.
At the outbreak of war, he is living at 5 Ellercroft Road, Lidget Green, Bradford, working as a clerk and unmarried.
Service history: he enlisted on at Bradford, aged 19, as No. 100801 into the Royal Army Medical Corps (10th Company?) 33 Field Ambulance (11th Northern division). On he was sent to Gallipoli.
Fate: he was admitted to St Andrew’s Hospital, Malta, from a hospital ship on , vomiting and with abdominal pain (his service records have a graphic account of his condition). As an RAMC man he would probably have been in contact with many dysentery patients. He died suddenly on . Malta became known as the ‘nurse of the Mediterranean’ because of its large number of hospitals. He was buried in Pieta Mill Cemetery, Malta.
With thanks to David Millichope