George's Story.
EARLY LIFE
George Sharpley was born in 1897, the son of Sarah Ellen and George Sharpley, a silk harness builder. In 1901, three-year-old George was living at 22 Cotton St, Macclesfield with his parents and brother Mark, aged 4. By 1911 the family had moved to 22 Silk Street and George was employed as an errand boy.
The family later moved to 4 Cotton St, Macclesfield.
WW1 SERVICE
George's death was reported in the Macclesfield Advertiser on 2 November 1917:
PRIVATE G SHARPLEY
Mr and Mrs G Sharpley, of 4 Cotton St, Macclesfield, have received a letter... informing them that their son George, a private in the Yorkshire Regiment, was killed in action on October 4th: "He did his duty, and died a soldier's death. I had known your son for some time, and appreciated his worth..." Deceased, who was only 18 years of age, received his education at Mill Street Wesleyan School, and was connected with the St George's Street Baptist Church, being a member of the choir. When he joined up twelve months ago he was an apprentice designer at Messrs Smale and Sons' Park Lane Mill, and he went to France on the 6th August.
His brother, Private Mark Sharpley, Cheshire Regiment, is at Salonika. He is 21 years of age and enlisted three days after the war broke out. He has also seen service in France. A memorial service for the late Private G Sharpley was held at the Baptist Chapel on Sunday morning.
COMMEMORATION
Private George Sharpley has no known grave and is commemorated on panel ref. 52 to 54 and 162A on the Tyne Cot Memorial, West Vlaanderen, Belgium. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission holds casualty details for Private George Sharpley, and he is listed on the Imperial War Museum’s Lives of the First World War website.
Locally, George Sharpley is commemorated on the Macclesfield Park Green, Town Hall, St Michael's Church and St George's Street Baptist Church war memorials.
NOTES
Brother of Mark Sharpley, who served with the Cheshire Regiment and was killed in April 1918.
SOURCES
Census (England & Wales): 1901, 1911
Commonwealth War Graves Commission website
Lives of the First World War website
Macclesfield Advertiser: 2 November 1918
Research by Rosie Rowley, Macclesfield.