George Bailey's Journey Through Two World Wars
The contributor's uncle, George M. Bailey, lived in Maidstone. The contributor saw him once or twice during his life.
George served in the Royal Navy in a career that spanned two World Wars. He was recalled for service during the Second World War.
First World War: George was born in Upfield in September 1896 (but the family are not sure - he may have lied about his age upon enlistment). He joined the Navy Cadets in Southampton (some dispute about what year he joined - possibly 1915 - and served as a telephonist.
Second World War: After rejoining Navy, he was apparently stationed in Dunkirk in 1940 and remembered the bombing of the port.
He was in his 40s when recalled for service, so was probably quite good at his job.
Most likely, he did not remain in the Navy after the war (WWII) ended.
He wrote poetry - his poetry mentions thinking about death as well as thinking about what people go through.
History
Item list and details
1. Photographs 2. Poems 3. Record of service 4. Christmas cards 5. Enlistment portraitPerson the story/items relate to
George M. BaileyPerson who shared the story/items
Bryan John BaileyRelationship between the subject of the story and its contributor
UncleType of submission
Shared at University of Plymouth, Plymouth on 15 November 2023.Record ID
108111 | PLY001Usage metrics
