George's Story.
George Whittaker was born in 1888 to John and Mary Whittaker of Parkside, Nether Tabley, Cheshire. He was an assistant Elementary school teacher in Manchester.
He enlisted in late 1914 and his call-up came early in 1915. He joined the 6th Battalion of the Manchester Regiment becoming Private 1680 and was dispatched with them to The Dardanelles campaign, arriving on the 5th May 1915.
George was a great letter writer and the photographs he sent home from Egypt had copious notes inscribed on the rear, giving every detail of the image overleaf.George was killed in action on the 5th June 1916.
Here is a report from one member of the Manchester regiment about the attack in which George was killed:
At noon, the leading platoons of Manchesters œ Company and half each of B & D) left the protection of their trenches and charged across the 200 yards of No Mans Land in good order. They were hit by devastating rifle and machine gun fire. Within 5 minutes, they were in the Turkish front line and were engaged in fierce hand-to-hand fighting. As they secured the trench, the other half of the 6th Manchesters (€ Company and the other platoons of B & D) overlapped them to take the Turkish support trench. The attack of the 5th, 7th and 8th Manchesters had also gone well. However, units on either side of the Manchester Brigade had been less successful. The Turks were now on three sides of the Brigade and, by mid-afternoon, it was becoming impossible to hold the position. An order for withdrawal back to the original Turkish front line was ordered at 6.30pm. 770 men of the 6th Manchesters had gone into action. By nightfall, when the roll was called, only 160 were fit enough to answer. 48 men had been killed. Tom and Alexander Milne are believed to have been members of C Company. It had been virtually wiped out but, as far as is known, the two friends had come through unscathed. The Battalion would be in the firing line for three more days before it was relieved and would suffer another 100 deaths.
This is how the newspaper reported his death:
'June 4 Private George Whittaker 26, son of Mr and Mrs John Whittaker, Parkside Tabley. He took part with the 1/6 Manchester on the 4th June in a charge and was not afterwards heard of.
His death was not notified until Jan 1916 when it was discovered that his body had been buried by the 1/5 Batt. Kings Own Scottish Borderers.'
His body was never found.
Researched and compiled by Tony Davies