George Baldwin

This story is shared by the Trust with kind permission from Mavis Williams, Researcher.

George Baldwin was born in Durham, County Durham on the 21st May 1913, according to the U.K. Army Roll of Honour. I am sorry to say that I have very little on George’s life before the Army, except that he married Mary Jane Cartlidge in the Registration District of Easington, County Durham in the December quarter of 1932. To add to the confusion, is the fact that his parents were described as Mr. & Mrs. J. Baldwin, and I cannot find a family in the time limits and in the area with certainty. Any help to tell his story would be appreciated.

Mary Jane Cartlidge had already suffered bereavement early in life as her father John Cartlidge had died in WW1 and is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial.

The 1939 National Register, which was taken on the 29th of September 1939, shows George & Mary Baldwin living at 4 Hilda Street, Blackhall Rocks, Easington, Durham, England. They would have five children, Patricia born in 1932; Desmond, born in 1935; Margaret, born in 1937; Julia, born in 1939; and Isobel, born in 1941. George was working as a miner (Putter) according to the 1939 Register.

George enlisted soon after the outbreak of war as he is seen in the the Green Howards register which record he was serving in the 5th Battalion. We next see him in the British Army Casualty list where he was recorded as having been wounded on the 11th June 1940. Then, on the 6th June 1944 the Casualty List records that he was killed in action on the 6th June 1944. He had been serving with the 12th (10th Battalion, The Green Howards [Yorkshire Regiment]) Battalion, Parachute Regiment who landed by parachute near Ranville on the 6th June but he was killed at some point that day.

The tragedy of his family and the grief that Mary Jane had to go through is heartbreaking, as she tried to mend her life after she lost her husband George. In the March quarter of 1945, Mary Jane Balwin married John Gray in the Don Valley Registration District and they had a child, John Gray, born in the June quarter of 1943.

But further tragedy would befall Mary Jane when all her children, except for Julia, were killed in a fire. According to the newspaper reports in the Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, dated the 10th of January 1947, the family were living at 75, Manor Road, Asken, Nr. Doncaster. Excerpt from the newspaper report: - “Mrs Gray had lived in Sunderland during the early part of the war until she was bombed out. Evacuated with one of her children and the others temporarily cared for in Co. Durham, she came to the Doncaster District. She married her second husband about three years ago. Her first husband was killed during the war. Gradually she had been getting her children back from Durham and making a home for them in Askern.” She said “It was the first real home I have ever had.”

Mary had gone to Sunderland to collect her daughter, Julia, who had been forstered, and John Gray had left for work early in the morning. It was shortly after that the fire broke out. Patricia had gone for help and then went back into the house to rescue her brother and sisters. Mary returned later that day to find out that the children had all died.

I believe that Mary Jane Gray was the to suffer another tragedy when her husband, John Gray was to die in the December quarter of 1949. I believe that she went on to marry Gerald Tuite in the June quarter of 1950. They went on to have a family themselves when Patrick Tuite was born in 1954 but sadly he was to die in 1955.

British Normandy Memorial - Additional Information

Unfortunately, we do not have a photo of George Baldwin. If you are aware of one, or you are related to George, we would love to hear from you so we can add to his story.