Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The British War Medal and Memorial Plaque to Company Sergeant Major G. E. Geary, 4th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, who was awarded the Military Cross for his gallantry during the Battle of Mont Sorrel, Ypres, in June 1916, and was shortly afterwards killed in action on 8 July 1916

British War Medal 1914-20 (6395 C.S.Mjr. G. E. Geary. 4-Can. Inf.); Memorial Plaque (George Edward Geary) good very fine (2) £300-£400

M.C. London Gazette 27 July 1916, citation published 19 August 1916:
‘For conspicuous and consistent gallantry when in charge of battalion bombers and when leading patrols. On one occasion he took up a position 25 yards in front of our trenches in order the better to knock out the enemy, and succeeded in doing so, although himself wounded’.

George Edward Geary was born in Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham, on 20 February 1884, and having served for a year in the merchant navy, and then for a time in the Durham Light Infantry, he emigrated to Canada in 1913. He attested for the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force in Calgary on 3 November 1914. Posted to the 4th Battalion (Central Ontario Regiment), he served during the Great War on the Western Front from February 1915, and was advanced Company Sergeant Major. In November 1915 he was admitted to hospital, suffering from shrapnel wounds:
‘I am sorry to say that Sgt. Maj. Geary is at present placed hors de combat with shrapnel wounds. As a result, I am now in charge of the rifle grenade department. The Sgt. Maj. is in England, he wrote me from Boulogne, saying although he had about 50 shrapnel wounds, only four were very bad.’ (letter from Private H. Sutcliffe, published in the Halifax Courier, 30 November 1915 refers).

Recovering, Geary re-joined his unit, and in June 1916 took part in the Battle of Mont Sorrel in the Ypres Salient, an offensive launched by the Germans in an attempt to divert manpower from the Somme. The following account, again taken from a letter written by Private Sutcliffe and published in the Halifax Courier, gives the details of the exploits for which Geary was awarded the Military Cross:
‘As the Battalion advanced we of the Grenade section held ourselves in readiness to repel counter-attacks. We lay in our trench soaked through and through with the pitiless downpour of rain, shivering with cold and pelted with heavies, high explosives and shrapnel, envying the men who were in the charge, for they at least could keep themselves warm. We were all heavily laden with grenades, shovels and sandbags, ready for any emergency. At daybreak German prisoners began to come down, survivors from that hail of fire, most of them youths of 17 or 18 years, some carrying wounded comrades on their backs and otherwise propping each other along. Two stalwarts were carrying out their officer while others carried our own wounded.

All day we sat low in our trench, escaping with but three or four casualties. My rifle was smashed and rendered useless by shrapnel. As darkness came on we were ordered to move further up, and we passed more than one still form laid by the wayside. Then we, the 4th Battalion bombers, were told off to take a section of trench which had been overlooked in the confusion. Dispositions were quickly made, extra grenades were handed out, and each man received a ration of rum. We were divided into two squads, an officer led one squad and the Sgt. Major the other. Two officers of the 16th were to show us the ground to be taken. We advanced under a hail of shrapnel and high explosive shells, and before we reached our objectives the two 16th officers were killed, our own wounded and others hit. Having lost our guides we were nonplussed and got into an advance trench meanwhile. Here we waited for an hour under a tremendous fire from the enemy. I stood in that trench, one foot over the ankle in mud and the other on some object, which on closer inspection proved to be a dead German, and figured my time was up, for hundred pounders were bursting on every hand.

The sergeant-major now in full charge decided to retire to a trench on a certain ridge. Here we lay from dawn till dark again under pitiless rain and no less pitiless shell fire. We lost three men blown out of recognition by one big shell dropped among us, two others had to go out, suffering from shell shock. Towards night to our great satisfaction word came that we were to be relieved. When it was dark, the sergeant-major sent the men a squad at a time, he, three men and myself remaining to hold the trench and receive the incoming bombardiers who were of the 24th Battalion 2nd Division. They came eventually, and we debouched past wrecked wagons, dead horses, and dead men. We managed to get along in a returning ration wagon to a certain railway station where we piled into coal trucks, and were taken down close to our camp, and here we lay to recuperate.’ (letter from Private H. Sutcliffe, published in the Halifax Courier, 26 June 1916 refers).

Shortly afterwards, Geary was killed in action at Mont Sorrel in the Ypres Salient on 8 July 1916. He has no known grave, and is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium.

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