YARDLEY, George H

George Yardley lived in Stourbridge and enlisted in the Worcesters. He was posted to the 4th Battalion which had gone out to the Mediterranean and landed on Gallipoli on the 25th April 1915. They suffered seriously in the three battles for Krithia and it is possible that George Yardley joined them in August at the time of the second wave of landings at Suvla Bay. However, the Turkish defences remained strong and after the frost and storms of November the decision was taken to evacuate the whole force from the peninsula. The Worcesters left from Suvla Bay without a single casualty in December and moved to Cape Helles. The final evacuation took place on the 9th January 1916, but not before Turkish shelling had been aimed at the Worcesters' trenches. There were few casualties but on the 3rd January Private George Yardley was killed in action. He is commemorated on the Helles,Stourbridge and St. Thomas's church Memorials.