BLAGDEN, George

Served 6½ years with the York & Lancs and fought in South Africa in the Boer War.  Then in WW1; enlisted 3/12/195 in Canadian Infantry, 144 Bn Winnipeg Rifles; Pte 829602. He arrived in England aboard the S.S. Olympic on 25/9/1916 and promoted A/Sgt at Witley Camp, Surrey. 15/11/1916 he was suffering badly from Myalgia and was recommended 6 weeks Physical Training! On 9/1/1917 he was sent back from England to Canada on leave, and never returned, so was classified as a ‘deserter’ on 3/3/1917, but this was later rescinded as he had been retained in Canada and discharged on compassionate  grounds on 25/4/1917.

b Oct 1879 Oddfellows Row, Hathersage. Parents Thomas b 1854 at Edensor, & Mary (Broomhead?) b 1859 at Hathersage.  By 1914 he was in Lavenham, Manitoba, Canada. He married Lily Hounam in Canada (Benjamin Thompson’s cousin, see below). He was brother of Thomas b 1877 (who also went to Canada), Arthur b 1883 (d 1957 and buried in Hathersage Churchyard), John William below, b1886, Samuel b 1890 and sister Esther Eliza b 1895, who married Frederick Sleath below.