GEORGE GOOD HOOPER 1889-1917
George Good Hooper was the youngest of four children of Robert and Joanna (nee Bishop) Hooper.
His siblings were
– Edith M. born about 1881 in Shapwick
– William Bishop born about 1882 in Shapwick
– Emmaline born about 1887 in Ashcott.
Robert was born in Huntspill, and Joanna in North Cadbury. They were married in 1879 and by the time of George’s birth in 1889, Robert and the family were living at Berhill and Robert was a ‘baker’.
George was admitted to Ashcott School on 10 April 1894 and his date of birth was entered as 8 September 1889. He left the School on 1 October 1903 ‘for work’. George worked as a painter and this was his occupation entered on the marriage certificate when he married Theresa Kate Francis on 9 June 1915 at Ashcott Parish Church. George’s brother William and sister Emmaline witnessed the marriage along with Theresa’s father John Giles Francis.
George enlisted in the 7th (Service) Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry which had been formed at Taunton in September 1914. The 7th was a Battalion of the Territorial Force as opposed to the three Battalions of the Regular Army provided by the SLI. The date of George’s enlistment is not known but it would have probably been after his marriage and before the battalion went to France in July 1915.
George died in the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917, notable for the first use of tanks by the Allies. While the initial stages of the Battle produced significant advances against the Germans, counter attacks by the Germans in the period 29 November to 4 December regained all the ground from the Allies. In this period George was killed on 30 November.
He had no known grave but is commemorated at the Cambrai Memorial in Louverval in Northern France. The memorial commemorates over 7,000 casualties of the Battle of Cambrai most of whom had no known graves.
George was awarded the Victory and British War Medals.
Attachments – Commonwealth War Graves Commission Certificate
– Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery Details
References – Ashcott School Admission Logs No. 681, 10 April 1894
– Ashcott Parish Church Marriages No. 265, 9 June 1915
– World War 1 Medal Cards
William Bishop Hooper
The death of George in 1917 was the second tragedy suffered by the Hooper family. The previous year George’s elder brother William had died while serving with the Somerset Light Infantry in India.
Details of William’s army service are recorded separately.
Casualty Details
|
Name: |
HOOPER, GEORGE GOOD |
|
Initials: |
G G |
|
Nationality: |
United Kingdom |
|
Rank: |
Private |
|
Regiment/Service: |
Somerset Light Infantry |
|
Unit Text: |
7th Bn. |
|
Age: |
29 |
|
Date of Death: |
30/11/1917 |
|
Service No: |
25918 |
|
Additional information: |
Son of Joannah Hooper, of 23, Branksome Avenue, Bath Rd., Bridgwater, and the late Robert Hooper; husband of Theresa K. Hooper, of The Laurels, Ashcott, Bridgwater, Somerset. |
|
Casualty Type: |
Commonwealth War Dead |
|
Grave/Memorial Reference: |
Panel 4 and 5. |
|
Memorial: |
CAMBRAI MEMORIAL, LOUVERVAL |
In Memory of
Private GEORGE GOOD HOOPER
25918, 7th Bn., Somerset Light Infantry
who died aged 29
on 30 November 1917
Son of Joannah Hooper, of 23, Branksome Avenue, Bath Rd, Bridgwater, and the late Robert Hooper. Husband of Theresa K. Hooper, of The Laurels, Ashcott, Bridgwater, Somerset.
Remembered with honour
CAMBRAI MEMORIAL, LOUVERVAL
Cemetery Details
Cemetery: CAMBRAI MEMORIAL, LOUVERVAL
Country: France
Locality: Nord
Location Information: The small village of Louverval is on the north side of the D930, Bapaume to Cambrai road, 13 kilometres north-east of Bapaume and 16 kilometres south-west of Cambrai. CWGC signposts on the D930 give advance warning of arrival at the Cemetery
Historical Information: The CAMBRAI MEMORIAL commemorates more than 7,000 servicemen of the United Kingdom and South Africa who died in the Battle of Cambrai in November and December 1917 and whose graves are not known. Sir Douglas Haig described the object of the Cambrai operations as the gaining of a ‘local success by a sudden attack at a point where the enemy did not expect it’ and to some extent they succeeded. The proposed method of assault was new, with no preliminary artillery bombardment. Instead, tanks would be used to break through the German wire, with the infantry following under the cover of smoke barrages. The attack began early in the morning of 20 November 1917 and initial advances were remarkable. However, by 22 November, a halt was called for rest and reorganisation, allowing the Germans to reinforce. From 23 to 28 November, the fighting was concentrated almost entirely around Bourlon Wood and by 29 November, it was clear that the Germans were ready for a major counter attack. During the fierce fighting of the next five days, much of the ground gained in the initial days of the attack was lost. For the Allies, the results of the battle were ultimately disappointing but valuable lessons were learnt about new strategies and tactical approaches to fighting. The Germans had also discovered that their fixed lines of defence, no matter how well prepared, were vulnerable. The Cambrai Memorial was designed by Harold Chalton Bradshaw with sculpture by Charles S. Jagger. It was unveiled by Lieut-General Sir Louis Vaughan on 4 August 1930. The memorial stands on a terrace at one end of LOUVERVAL MILITARY CEMETERY. The chateau at Louverval, was taken by the 56th Australian Infantry Battalion at dawn on 2 April 1917. The hamlet stayed in Allied hands until the 51st (Highland) Division was driven from it on 21 March 1918 during the great German advance, and it was retaken in the following September. Parts of Rows B and C of the cemetery were made between April and December 1917 and in 1927, graves were brought in from Louverval Chateau Cemetery, which had been begun by German troops in March 1918 and used by Commonwealth forces in September and October 1918. The cemetery now contains 124 First World War burials.
No. of Identified Casualties: 7058