Captain George Cuthbert Warburton HARKER MC
A Company, 1/12th (County of London) Battalion (The Rangers)

Date of birth: 23rd October 1890
Date of death: 1st December 1917

Died of wounds aged 27
Buried at Achiet Le Grand Communal Cemetery Extension Plot I Row K Grave 14
He was born at 11 Dashwood Road, Stroud Green in Middlesex on the 23rd of October 1890 the younger son of Dr Thomas Harker MD, surgeon, and Lucy Jane (nee Bettinson) later of 90 Ebury Street, Pimlico in London SW and of "Coronation House", Ilfracombe in Devon. He was christened at Holy Trinity Church, Stroud Green on the 30th of November 1890.

After attending Glengorse School in Eastbourne he obtained an entrance scholarship to the King’s School Canterbury where he was educated from January1905 to July 1910. He subsequently won a Junior Scholarship and in 1910 was appointed as Secretary of Cricket. He served as a member of the Officer Training Corps where he rose to the rank of Corporal. In July 1910 he went on to Pembroke College Cambridge where he gained a 3rd Class History Tripos Part 1 in 1912, a 3rd Class Law Tripos in 1913 BA and LLB degrees after which he was articled in 1913 to Messrs Coward, Hawksley and Chance of 30 Mincing Lane in London.

Following the outbreak of war he enlisted in London as Private 2898 in the 2/12th (County of London) Battalion (The Rangers) on the 9th of September 1914. At a medical examination, which was held on the same day, it was recorded that he was five feet seven inches tall. He later became an NCO and he volunteered for overseas service on the 12th of December 1914. He applied for a commission on the 23rd of February 1915 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the same battalion on the 7th of April 1915. After completing his training he landed in France on the 17th of July 1915 where he joined the 1/12th Battalion of his regiment in the field. At the time the battalion was part of General Headquarters troops.

He was evacuated from the battalion on the 8th of May 1916 suffering from suppuration of the cervical glands in his neck and was embarked on board a hospital ship from Le Havre on the 9th of May, landing at Southampton later the same day. He was taken to the Military Hospital, Millbank from where he was discharged for light duty on the 17th of August 1916. He rejoined his battalion in the field on the 24th of September 1916.

On the 7th of October 1916 the 1/12th (County of London) Battalion (The Rangers) was tasked with the capture of Dewdrop Trench, between Les Boeufs and Le Transloy on the Somme. The battalion was deployed on a three platoon front in four waves at fifty yard intervals. At 1.45pm the men moved forward from Rainy Trench and immediately came under heavy fire from Dewdrop trench. By the time they had gone fifty yards there was only some fifteen remaining from the leading wave and the attack stalled. The second wave also suffered heavily and the survivors went to ground in shell holes in no man's land. A further attack was made by the remaining two waves from Burnaby Trench at 2.05pm but the result was the same with a wounded officer reporting that not a man from the third wave was still standing from the third wave after covering forty or fifty yards with the fourth wave meeting a similar fate.

George Harker was wounded by a gun shot during the attack and was evacuated back to England from Calais on the 14th of October. He landed at Dover later the same day and was taken to the 2nd Western General Hospital where a Medical Board sat on the 15th of December 1916 to report on his case: -

"The Board find that this officer was hit by rifle bullets during an attack. 1) There was a deep gutter wound transversely across the inner side of the left buttock, 4 inches in length. This has now healed, but there is a little stiffness left. 2)A second wound involved the left die of the scrotum congenitally, involving skin and dartos only. The wound is also healed but the scar is rather tender."

He was later declared as being fit for general service by a Medical Board which sat at the Military Hospital, Exeter. He was promoted to Lieutenant on the 30th of March 1917 with precedence from the 1st of June 1916 and was promoted to Acting Captain on the 22nd of June 1917 whilst in command of a Company.

On the 27th of November 1917 A Company, 1/12th (County of London) Battalion (The Rangers) was in trenches to the left of their battalion's line at Tadpole Copse near Cambrai. Just before 3pm a heavy barrage fell upon their trenches which was quickly followed by an enemy bombing attack at "Hindenburg Trench" and at "Tadpole Lane". Blocks in the trenches were made by the defenders and a chain of men was formed to pass up bombs and rifle grenades but in spite of this the enemy managed to gain the upper hand and initially managed to force the London men back from the block. This was short lived as the men of A Company regained the block and with the enemy beginning to fall back George Harker led a group of men across open ground armed with a Lewis gun and rifle grenades. He was almost immediately wounded in the head but the Lewis gunners brought fire on "Tadpole Lane" and the Germans abandoned the position but maintained their attack up "Hindenburg Trench". Reinforcements arrived from C and B Companies who poured rifle grenade fire into the trench "with many shouts and groans being heard." Shortly afterwards it became clear that the attacking force had been wiped out. George Harker was evacuated to 45 Casualty Clearing Station but died of his wounds there four days later.

For this action he was awarded the Military Cross which was announced in the London Gazette of the 4th of March 1918. The citation read:-

“For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. A determined attack being made on the left flank of the battalion, he directed the operations of his company with complete disregard for his personal safety, and, on the enemy attack wavering, he endeavoured to press home the advantage by leading a counter-attack over the open, in which he received a wound in the head.”

His Commanding Officer wrote:-

"His death deprives us of a very cool and courageous officer."

The Battalion Adjutant wrote:-

"As a great personal friend of Captain Harker, I can say that his loss is a very great one, and we have lost not only a splendid friend but a magnificent soldier. He was always the cheeriest and coolest man in any action we took part in, and its effect upon the men was wonderful. They would follow him anywhere. He was wounded in the head while making a very gallant attempt to outflank the enemy, who counterattacked our position. Largely due to his own personal example, his company succeeded in repulsing the attack."

He is commemorated with his cousin on a memorial in the Sanctuary of St Firmin's Church, Thurlby in Lincolnshire and on the war memorial at Pembroke College Cambridge.
 

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