2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment
George Norton Gastrell was born 17 August 1890 at West Derby in Liverpool, the second eldest son of Edward Jessie and Susannah Jane Gastrell.
By the time of the 1901 census the family was living in the St Luke’s Parish area of Cheltenham, George Gastrell being a commercial traveller and later they moved to Dingle Holme , Huccleote in Gloucester.
George was a member of the Church Lads’ Brigade and also played football for St Philips AFC. Prior to the war he was an employee of John Fisher & Co Ltd, Ironmongers of 34 Winchcombe Street, Cheltenham.
According to his Medal Index Card, after enlistment at Woolwich, George was initially posted to the Essex Regiment (number 6761), however he later transferred to the 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment.
He was wounded in action on 9 September 1916 probably during an attack on the Wood Lane Trench near High Wood (in the Somme sector) and was repatriated to the Monsall Hospital, Manchester. He never recovered from his wounds and died there on 8 October 1916; he was 26 years old.
Lance Corporal Gastrell was buried in the churchyard of the Parish Church at Hucclecote on 14 October 1916 and he has a standard CWGC headstone.
He also commemorated on the Cheltenham War Memorial and his photo appeared in The Graphic of 21 October 1916.
Researched by Graham Adams 8 January 2012 with acknowledgement to ‘Leaving all that was dear – Cheltenham and the Great War’ by Graham Sacker & Joe Devereux)