George Livingstone

The 7th Hood Battalion were part of the 2nd (Royal Naval) Brigade, 63rd (Royal Naval) Division. George was Killed on the opening day of the Battle of the Ancre. It involved an attack on the German front line as it crossed the Ancre river. The main attack was lead off by the "Hood" and "Hawke" Battalions. This was their 1st engagement in France. The Battle of the Ancre, 13th - 18th November 1916 : The Battle was now extended northwards across to the far side of he River Ancre. The British force attacked in fog and snow on the 13th of November from the very same front lines from which the attack had failed so badly on the 1st of July. Beaumont-Hamel was finally captured but Serre once again proved an objective too far. Considerable casualties were sustained before the battle was called off. This was part of the Battles of the Somme, 1st July - 18th November 1916 : A Franco-British offensive that was undertaken after Allied strategic conferences in late 1915, but which changed its nature due to the German attack against the French in the epic Battle of Verdun, which lasted from late February to November. Huge British losses on the first day and a series of fiercely-contested steps that became attritional in nature. For all armies on the Western Front it was becoming what the Germans would call "materialschlacht" : a war not of morale, will or even manpower, but of sheer industrial material might. The 15th September 1916 saw the first-ever use of tanks in the step known as the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. The British army in France is now approaching its maximum strength in numbers but is still developing in terms of tactics, technology, command and control. George enlisted on the 03/11/1914. Collingwood Battalion "D" Company 2nd Platoon from 04/03/1915. Transferred to Hood Battalion on the 08/06/1915 till time of death. George went to the Dardanelles around May 1915 and served there until the evacuation on the 07/01/1916. See Newspaper clipping for letter to George's parents from Lieutenant James C Hilton. He is also remembered on the Gartsherrie Church Roll of Honour (bottom name) and 1st Boys Brigades Roll of Honour (see photos). See photos for George's Newspaper clippings x 3, his CWGC Grave Registration, his name on the Thiepval Memorial Panel List, his name on the Thiepval Memorial, George's Pension Records x 2 and the Hood Battalion Cap Badge.