George Ernest Bryant

A Private with the 7th Battalion, George died on 28th of April 1917 at the age of 27. 

George was born at Saint Thomas’, Norwich, in 1890, a son of George Robert and Emma Amelia Bryant. In 1891 his family lived at 14 Swansea Road, Norwich. By 1901 George’s mother had died and his family lived at 33 Calvert Street, Norwich. In 1911 George lived with his grandmother, Amelia Bryant, at 33 Calvert Street, and his father lived at 9A Beresford Road, Lowestoft. 

In 1916 George married Grace Mildred Betts at Norwich. She also lived at 9A Beresford Road. 

George enlisted in the Army at Norwich. He joined the Norfolk Regiment, service number 23789, and was posted to the 7th Battalion in France. He was a member of 16 Platoon, D Company. 

On 27 April 1917 the 7th Battalion were at Monchy, near Arras, and received orders to attack and capture both Rife Trench and Bayonet Trench, and consolidate other positions, the following day. About midnight on the 28th the front companies report an enemy attack and sent up the S.O.S. signal for artillery support which saw off the enemy attack. At 4.25 a.m. the battalion advanced and after around 50 minutes had reached Rifle and Bayonet trenches, however A and B Companies had not been able to join up with C and D Companies. In fact A and B Companies had been held up by machine-gun fire and had to take cover in shell-holes. Some men from A and B Company tried to crawl back to their start line and were sniped. Any further advance for C and D Companies was made impossible because of machine-gun and rifle fire and they found that a German trench that had not been touched by the artillery and some of the wire had not been cut. For the rest of the day the men of C and D Companies lay in shell-holes and when it was dark they set about returning to their lines and bringing in the wounded, but this was severely hampered by enemy machine-gun and rifle fire and the enemy’s use of Very lights. This meant that many men could not be rescued.  

Three officers and 70 men of the battalion were killed, with an unknown number wounded and missing. 

George was reported missing on 28 April and later he was presumed to have been killed in action on that date.