1895-1918
Farm Worker
When I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me27
All in all, 1895 had been a miserable year; the agricultural depression12 was biting as hard as ever, work was hard to find and living costs rising21. To make matters worse, the weather had been awful32, the harvest poor12 and now, as Autumn set in, snow was falling32. However, amid the misery, for Maria and agricultural labourer2 John Hanmer, there was a bright spark; the birth of their son, George24.
Unequivocally living in the shadow of poverty10 in their four-roomed4 dwelling, Magpie Hall, Cockshutt2/3, the burgeoning family3 would have struggled to survive on John’s pitiful wages7. From a young age, George would have been expected to work50, especially around harvest; for a paltry sum50 he would have spent many arduous days gleaning cornfields, racing against the gluttonous birds and rats9.
With few opportunities for play50, George undoubtedly enjoyed village social occasions and “great rejoicings”13. Perhaps as he grew older, he joined the “cricket club”13, unknowingly sharpening his hand-eye co-ordination, which would be so important in the not so distant future17.
As the “years move(d) along tranquilly” 13, and with school behind him, George found employment as a farm labourer with Thomas John Marsh3, father of (William) Stanley Marsh55. Only they will know if their paths ever crossed, but the terrible fate they shared had germinated many years earlier, as the Great European Powers jostled for supremacy56, until the only way forward had been war, which finally erupted in 1914.
Until now, Cockshutt had been “unstartled by the sensation of sudden innovation”13, but as the brutal war of attrition with its deadlock of trench warfare46 claimed more and more lives, it found itself impacted by the loss of its own, both in death and enlistment.
George enlisted 191511 onwards, with the Army Service Corps39, after which he was attached to the Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort’s Own) 1/5th London Regiment17, probably after his competency and skill with a rifle53 were identified during training.
Rifleman G Hanmer 4534017 served on the Western Front6, where his role would have been crucial in defending the trenches and attacking the enemy, as he advanced with the infantry54. Vast advances may have been made in mortar, machine gun and grenade technology, but compared to the rifle they were cumbersome, unwieldy and a logistical challenge, relying on large amounts of ready ammunition to make them functional53. In comparison, the British Lee-Enfield Rifle was portable, reliable and sturdy, dependent on the training and skill of the Rifleman himself53.
After the near collapse of the Germans following their Spring Offensive of 1918, the Allies pursued what was later known as the Hundred Days Offensive49. In August, the Battalion (as part of 56th (London) Division) was at Croiselles which, after very heavy fighting, they recaptured on 28th August 191817. Two days later, they were at nearby Riencourt52 and it was here that Rifleman G Hanmer 45340 was killed in action54 on 30th August 191816. The War Diary for that date tells us,
“Heavy barrage of HE* and gas put down in Valley U20c and U21a as Batt. was being relieved52”.
Posthumously awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal11, Rifleman G Hanmer’s final resting place is at Croiselles British Cemetery, France17.
We Will Remember Him.
Rifleman George Hanmer, 45340, London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade).
Killed in action in France on 30th August 1918.
Buried at Croisilles British Cemetery, France. Grave IV. E. 25.
The eternal holiness of you,
The timeless end, you never knew,
The peace that lay, the light that shone,
You never knew that I had gone
A million miles away, and stayed
A million years18.