Lieutenant, 6th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers.
Killed in action on Thursday 10th June 1915, at Gallipoli, age 21.
Buried in the Lancashire Landing Cemetery, grave reference A.19.
Former student of engineering.
Samuel was born on 11th June 1894. He was the eldest son of Adolf George, Justice of the Peace and for several years the Conservative Party Leader of the Middleton division, and Sarah Elizabeth O’Neill of Marland Grange, Castleton, Rochdale . Samuel’s mother died in January 1896 when he was very young. He was educated at Parkgate near Chester and Shrewsbury where he proved to be an all round sportsman. On leaving school he was employed by the family business, O’Neill & Son’s, Paper Tube Manufacturers, Linden Mills, Castleton. In 1911-12, he enrolled for a 1st year Engineering Apprentice Course at The Tech.
Whilst at Shrewsbury he joined the school Officer Training Corps and in 1910 joined the territorials as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 6th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, being promoted to Lieutenant in January 1914. He served in Egypt and then Gallipoli where he was congratulated by the 42nd East Lancashire Division Commander for an action he took part in on 4–5th June 1915. A few days later he was killed, close to his 21st Birthday.
Samuel left effects worth £309 17s. 6d. to his father.
A stained glass window in St Martin’s Church, Castleton was dedicated to Samuel, but when the church was rebuilt the windows were sold. The Imperial War Musem has a painting of Samuel in it’s collection.
- Sources vary on whether Samuel died on 10th, 11th or 12th June, we have used the date that seemed most common across the sources.