Rank: Second Lieutenant
Regiment: Rifle Brigade 3rd Battalion
Age: 19 years old.
Born in 1897, George was the second son of John Bertram and Gertrude Mary Marsden-Smedley, of Lea Green, Matlock, Derbyshire. His father was the fourth Managing Director of the family firm, John Smedley & Sons Ltd, of Matlock, manufacturer of fine knitwear.
George was educated at Horris Hill School in Hampshire before going on to Harrow School where he remained from 1911 to 1915. During his time there he excelled in physical activities. He was a prefect, a member of the Officer Training Corps and the Captain for both the Football and Cricket teams.
George applied to enter Trinity College, Cambridge, although eventually he decided not to take up his place as immediately after he left school, in the summer of 1915, George travelled to Belper in Derbyshire to register to join the army and the war effort. After undergoing his initial training in Kent, George was assigned to the 3rd Battalion in the Rifle Brigade.
On the 13th July 1916, George Marsden-Smedley sailed to France from Southampton to join the war effort. By the 23rd July his battalion was in a reserve position on the Somme.
George frequently wrote letters to his father from the front line, primarily to stay in touch but also to request gifts ! One memorable gift that George received was a gold chain for his identity disc.
George had been on the battlefield for 25 days when on the 18th August 1916, George led his men into an attack on Guillemont station. Having been themselves heavily shelled all day, three companies went forward under a creeping barrage crossing no-man's-land with little loss until they met stiff resistance from the strong point around the Station. The enemy's garrison was determined and courageous and there was a fierce hand-to-hand fight.
In a courageous act that subsequently proved to be George's last he charged a German machine gun nest. A witness and fellow soldier said 'after shooting one of the men, he was shot by a German officer and fell on the parapet of the German trench.'
A large congregation was in attendance for George's memorial service. During the service a letter written by George's company commander was read out: 'had he lived I would have recommended him for an award'.
Despite wearing his new gold chain which was carrying his identification disc, George's body, sadly, was never found. Strenuous efforts were made by George's father to retrieve his body, but to no avail. His father managed to pinpoint the exact place where George was last seen, and purchased that piece of land to create a memorial garden. The memorial was built within a surrounding wall – shielding it from what is now a cornfield.
The inscription on the memorial reads:
"In Memory of George Futvoye Marsden-Smedley of Lea Green Matlock Derbyshire. 2nd Lieut 3rd Batt. The Rifle Brigade aged 19 years. Who fell in an attack on Guillemont on August 18th 1916 during the Battle of the Somme and lies near here in an unknown grave. Lovely and pleasant in life, in death serene and unafraid. Most blessed in remembrance."
2nd Lt Marsden-Smedley's parents and five brothers and sisters all survived into old age but by 1990 with the last gone the memorial was in need of attention. Minor repairs were made by members of the Western Front Asociation, but in 1997 a major refurbishment was carried out on behalf of the family and the former family firm by Christopher Marsden-Smedley, nephew of George Futvoye, with the assistance of the WFA. The stone was cleaned and some of the lettering recut, white chippings were laid, and the wall was rebuilt most effectively using bricks and stone-copings reminiscent of walls to British cemeteries. John Smedley and Son agreed to act as guardian and a discreet plaque on the wall confirms this.
To mark the centenary of George's death, the family placed an additional memorial stone on the site with the inscription from Rupert Brooke's poem, The Soldier: 'In that rich earth, a richer dust is concealed'.
George is commemorated on many memorials.
His name is on the Dethick, Lea & Holloway War Memorial.
In Christ Church at Lea & Holloway there is a stained glass window to his memory.
The wording is "To 2nd Lt. George Futvoye Marsden-Smedley, 3rd Batt. Rifle"
Around the wall of the church are gold on red plaques honouring the fallen men of the parish. George's plaque reads: 2nd Lt. George Futvoye Marsden-Smedley, 3rd Batt. Rifle Brigade, Guillemont 18th August 1916.
There is a memorial in a shelter to 2nd Lt Marsden Smedley He is also commemorated by a limestone tablet set into the wall of a stone shelter with a wooden seat. (Adjacent to the toilets on Church St.) SK 324 567 It is inscribed "In memory of George Futvoye Marsden-Smedley aged nineteen years who fell in the battle of the Somme 18th August 1916.
Trinity College War Memorial
Crypt Chapel Harrow School
Commemorated on a family memorial at Dethick, Lea and Holloway Cemetery, Derby.
(Sources: CWGC, John Smedley website, Harrow School ROH, IWM,Western Front Association, Find My Past)
Regiment: Rifle Brigade 3rd Battalion
Age: 19 years old.
Born in 1897, George was the second son of John Bertram and Gertrude Mary Marsden-Smedley, of Lea Green, Matlock, Derbyshire. His father was the fourth Managing Director of the family firm, John Smedley & Sons Ltd, of Matlock, manufacturer of fine knitwear.
George was educated at Horris Hill School in Hampshire before going on to Harrow School where he remained from 1911 to 1915. During his time there he excelled in physical activities. He was a prefect, a member of the Officer Training Corps and the Captain for both the Football and Cricket teams.
George applied to enter Trinity College, Cambridge, although eventually he decided not to take up his place as immediately after he left school, in the summer of 1915, George travelled to Belper in Derbyshire to register to join the army and the war effort. After undergoing his initial training in Kent, George was assigned to the 3rd Battalion in the Rifle Brigade.
On the 13th July 1916, George Marsden-Smedley sailed to France from Southampton to join the war effort. By the 23rd July his battalion was in a reserve position on the Somme.
George frequently wrote letters to his father from the front line, primarily to stay in touch but also to request gifts ! One memorable gift that George received was a gold chain for his identity disc.
George had been on the battlefield for 25 days when on the 18th August 1916, George led his men into an attack on Guillemont station. Having been themselves heavily shelled all day, three companies went forward under a creeping barrage crossing no-man's-land with little loss until they met stiff resistance from the strong point around the Station. The enemy's garrison was determined and courageous and there was a fierce hand-to-hand fight.
In a courageous act that subsequently proved to be George's last he charged a German machine gun nest. A witness and fellow soldier said 'after shooting one of the men, he was shot by a German officer and fell on the parapet of the German trench.'
A large congregation was in attendance for George's memorial service. During the service a letter written by George's company commander was read out: 'had he lived I would have recommended him for an award'.
Despite wearing his new gold chain which was carrying his identification disc, George's body, sadly, was never found. Strenuous efforts were made by George's father to retrieve his body, but to no avail. His father managed to pinpoint the exact place where George was last seen, and purchased that piece of land to create a memorial garden. The memorial was built within a surrounding wall – shielding it from what is now a cornfield.
The inscription on the memorial reads:
"In Memory of George Futvoye Marsden-Smedley of Lea Green Matlock Derbyshire. 2nd Lieut 3rd Batt. The Rifle Brigade aged 19 years. Who fell in an attack on Guillemont on August 18th 1916 during the Battle of the Somme and lies near here in an unknown grave. Lovely and pleasant in life, in death serene and unafraid. Most blessed in remembrance."
2nd Lt Marsden-Smedley's parents and five brothers and sisters all survived into old age but by 1990 with the last gone the memorial was in need of attention. Minor repairs were made by members of the Western Front Asociation, but in 1997 a major refurbishment was carried out on behalf of the family and the former family firm by Christopher Marsden-Smedley, nephew of George Futvoye, with the assistance of the WFA. The stone was cleaned and some of the lettering recut, white chippings were laid, and the wall was rebuilt most effectively using bricks and stone-copings reminiscent of walls to British cemeteries. John Smedley and Son agreed to act as guardian and a discreet plaque on the wall confirms this.
To mark the centenary of George's death, the family placed an additional memorial stone on the site with the inscription from Rupert Brooke's poem, The Soldier: 'In that rich earth, a richer dust is concealed'.
George is commemorated on many memorials.
His name is on the Dethick, Lea & Holloway War Memorial.
In Christ Church at Lea & Holloway there is a stained glass window to his memory.
The wording is "To 2nd Lt. George Futvoye Marsden-Smedley, 3rd Batt. Rifle"
Around the wall of the church are gold on red plaques honouring the fallen men of the parish. George's plaque reads: 2nd Lt. George Futvoye Marsden-Smedley, 3rd Batt. Rifle Brigade, Guillemont 18th August 1916.
There is a memorial in a shelter to 2nd Lt Marsden Smedley He is also commemorated by a limestone tablet set into the wall of a stone shelter with a wooden seat. (Adjacent to the toilets on Church St.) SK 324 567 It is inscribed "In memory of George Futvoye Marsden-Smedley aged nineteen years who fell in the battle of the Somme 18th August 1916.
Trinity College War Memorial
Crypt Chapel Harrow School
Commemorated on a family memorial at Dethick, Lea and Holloway Cemetery, Derby.
(Sources: CWGC, John Smedley website, Harrow School ROH, IWM,Western Front Association, Find My Past)
Rank: Second Lieutenant
Regiment: Rifle Brigade 3rd Battalion
Age: 19 years old.
Born in 1897, George was the second son of John Bertram and Gertrude Mary Marsden-Smedley, of Lea Green, Matlock, Derbyshire. His father was the fourth Managing Director of the family firm, John Smedley & Sons Ltd, of Matlock, manufacturer of fine knitwear.
George was educated at Horris Hill School in Hampshire before going on to Harrow School where he remained from 1911 to 1915. During his time there he excelled in physical activities. He was a prefect, a member of the Officer Training Corps and the Captain for both the Football and Cricket teams.
George applied to enter Trinity College, Cambridge, although eventually he decided not to take up his place as immediately after he left school, in the summer of 1915, George travelled to Belper in Derbyshire to register to join the army and the war effort. After undergoing his initial training in Kent, George was assigned to the 3rd Battalion in the Rifle Brigade.
On the 13th July 1916, George Marsden-Smedley sailed to France from Southampton to join the war effort. By the 23rd July his battalion was in a reserve position on the Somme.
George frequently wrote letters to his father from the front line, primarily to stay in touch but also to request gifts ! One memorable gift that George received was a gold chain for his identity disc.
George had been on the battlefield for 25 days when on the 18th August 1916, George led his men into an attack on Guillemont station. Having been themselves heavily shelled all day, three companies went forward under a creeping barrage crossing no-man's-land with little loss until they met stiff resistance from the strong point around the Station. The enemy's garrison was determined and courageous and there was a fierce hand-to-hand fight.
In a courageous act that subsequently proved to be George's last he charged a German machine gun nest. A witness and fellow soldier said 'after shooting one of the men, he was shot by a German officer and fell on the parapet of the German trench.'
A large congregation was in attendance for George's memorial service. During the service a letter written by George's company commander was read out: 'had he lived I would have recommended him for an award'.
Despite wearing his new gold chain which was carrying his identification disc, George's body, sadly, was never found. Strenuous efforts were made by George's father to retrieve his body, but to no avail. His father managed to pinpoint the exact place where George was last seen, and purchased that piece of land to create a memorial garden. The memorial was built within a surrounding wall – shielding it from what is now a cornfield.
The inscription on the memorial reads:
"In Memory of George Futvoye Marsden-Smedley of Lea Green Matlock Derbyshire. 2nd Lieut 3rd Batt. The Rifle Brigade aged 19 years. Who fell in an attack on Guillemont on August 18th 1916 during the Battle of the Somme and lies near here in an unknown grave. Lovely and pleasant in life, in death serene and unafraid. Most blessed in remembrance."
2nd Lt Marsden-Smedley's parents and five brothers and sisters all survived into old age but by 1990 with the last gone the memorial was in need of attention. Minor repairs were made by members of the Western Front Asociation, but in 1997 a major refurbishment was carried out on behalf of the family and the former family firm by Christopher Marsden-Smedley, nephew of George Futvoye, with the assistance of the WFA. The stone was cleaned and some of the lettering recut, white chippings were laid, and the wall was rebuilt most effectively using bricks and stone-copings reminiscent of walls to British cemeteries. John Smedley and Son agreed to act as guardian and a discreet plaque on the wall confirms this.
To mark the centenary of George's death, the family placed an additional memorial stone on the site with the inscription from Rupert Brooke's poem, The Soldier: 'In that rich earth, a richer dust is concealed'.
George is commemorated on many memorials.
His name is on the Dethick, Lea & Holloway War Memorial.
In Christ Church at Lea & Holloway there is a stained glass window to his memory.
The wording is "To 2nd Lt. George Futvoye Marsden-Smedley, 3rd Batt. Rifle"
Around the wall of the church are gold on red plaques honouring the fallen men of the parish. George's plaque reads: 2nd Lt. George Futvoye Marsden-Smedley, 3rd Batt. Rifle Brigade, Guillemont 18th August 1916.
There is a memorial in a shelter to 2nd Lt Marsden Smedley He is also commemorated by a limestone tablet set into the wall of a stone shelter with a wooden seat. (Adjacent to the toilets on Church St.) SK 324 567 It is inscribed "In memory of George Futvoye Marsden-Smedley aged nineteen years who fell in the battle of the Somme 18th August 1916.
Trinity College War Memorial
Crypt Chapel Harrow School
Commemorated on a family memorial at Dethick, Lea and Holloway Cemetery, Derby.
(Sources: CWGC, John Smedley website, Harrow School ROH, IWM,Western Front Association, Find My Past)
Regiment: Rifle Brigade 3rd Battalion
Age: 19 years old.
Born in 1897, George was the second son of John Bertram and Gertrude Mary Marsden-Smedley, of Lea Green, Matlock, Derbyshire. His father was the fourth Managing Director of the family firm, John Smedley & Sons Ltd, of Matlock, manufacturer of fine knitwear.
George was educated at Horris Hill School in Hampshire before going on to Harrow School where he remained from 1911 to 1915. During his time there he excelled in physical activities. He was a prefect, a member of the Officer Training Corps and the Captain for both the Football and Cricket teams.
George applied to enter Trinity College, Cambridge, although eventually he decided not to take up his place as immediately after he left school, in the summer of 1915, George travelled to Belper in Derbyshire to register to join the army and the war effort. After undergoing his initial training in Kent, George was assigned to the 3rd Battalion in the Rifle Brigade.
On the 13th July 1916, George Marsden-Smedley sailed to France from Southampton to join the war effort. By the 23rd July his battalion was in a reserve position on the Somme.
George frequently wrote letters to his father from the front line, primarily to stay in touch but also to request gifts ! One memorable gift that George received was a gold chain for his identity disc.
George had been on the battlefield for 25 days when on the 18th August 1916, George led his men into an attack on Guillemont station. Having been themselves heavily shelled all day, three companies went forward under a creeping barrage crossing no-man's-land with little loss until they met stiff resistance from the strong point around the Station. The enemy's garrison was determined and courageous and there was a fierce hand-to-hand fight.
In a courageous act that subsequently proved to be George's last he charged a German machine gun nest. A witness and fellow soldier said 'after shooting one of the men, he was shot by a German officer and fell on the parapet of the German trench.'
A large congregation was in attendance for George's memorial service. During the service a letter written by George's company commander was read out: 'had he lived I would have recommended him for an award'.
Despite wearing his new gold chain which was carrying his identification disc, George's body, sadly, was never found. Strenuous efforts were made by George's father to retrieve his body, but to no avail. His father managed to pinpoint the exact place where George was last seen, and purchased that piece of land to create a memorial garden. The memorial was built within a surrounding wall – shielding it from what is now a cornfield.
The inscription on the memorial reads:
"In Memory of George Futvoye Marsden-Smedley of Lea Green Matlock Derbyshire. 2nd Lieut 3rd Batt. The Rifle Brigade aged 19 years. Who fell in an attack on Guillemont on August 18th 1916 during the Battle of the Somme and lies near here in an unknown grave. Lovely and pleasant in life, in death serene and unafraid. Most blessed in remembrance."
2nd Lt Marsden-Smedley's parents and five brothers and sisters all survived into old age but by 1990 with the last gone the memorial was in need of attention. Minor repairs were made by members of the Western Front Asociation, but in 1997 a major refurbishment was carried out on behalf of the family and the former family firm by Christopher Marsden-Smedley, nephew of George Futvoye, with the assistance of the WFA. The stone was cleaned and some of the lettering recut, white chippings were laid, and the wall was rebuilt most effectively using bricks and stone-copings reminiscent of walls to British cemeteries. John Smedley and Son agreed to act as guardian and a discreet plaque on the wall confirms this.
To mark the centenary of George's death, the family placed an additional memorial stone on the site with the inscription from Rupert Brooke's poem, The Soldier: 'In that rich earth, a richer dust is concealed'.
George is commemorated on many memorials.
His name is on the Dethick, Lea & Holloway War Memorial.
In Christ Church at Lea & Holloway there is a stained glass window to his memory.
The wording is "To 2nd Lt. George Futvoye Marsden-Smedley, 3rd Batt. Rifle"
Around the wall of the church are gold on red plaques honouring the fallen men of the parish. George's plaque reads: 2nd Lt. George Futvoye Marsden-Smedley, 3rd Batt. Rifle Brigade, Guillemont 18th August 1916.
There is a memorial in a shelter to 2nd Lt Marsden Smedley He is also commemorated by a limestone tablet set into the wall of a stone shelter with a wooden seat. (Adjacent to the toilets on Church St.) SK 324 567 It is inscribed "In memory of George Futvoye Marsden-Smedley aged nineteen years who fell in the battle of the Somme 18th August 1916.
Trinity College War Memorial
Crypt Chapel Harrow School
Commemorated on a family memorial at Dethick, Lea and Holloway Cemetery, Derby.
(Sources: CWGC, John Smedley website, Harrow School ROH, IWM,Western Front Association, Find My Past)
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