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George Weston was born in Birmingham. His parents were John Isaac Weston and Sarah Ann Paddock. John was born and raised in Birmingham but Sarah originated from Walsall in the West Midlands. The 1881 Census shows the family living at Providence Place off Ryland Road in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham. They had named their first son after his father and George had arrived two years later on 5th August 1878. John Isaac senior was working as a “brassfounder”.

They cannot be found on the 1891 census but newspaper reports and surviving divorce papers show the family was in turmoil at the time. John & Sarah had tried their hand at managing public houses including the Electric Tavern in Balsall Heath, Birmingham. One night in December 1889 Sarah accused a Shropshire Jockey, drinking in the Electric Tavern, of trying to swindle her out of a shilling. Having proved his innocence by allowing himself to be searched, the jockey attempted to leave quietly but Sarah followed him into the street and set about him with a stick. John joined in and delivered a blow to the head causing the jockey to stagger across the road and collapse. The jockey was declared dead on arrival at the local hospital. It was determined the victim had an unsound heart but the blow to the head had contributed to his death. John was found guilty of manslaughter with a recommendation for mercy by the jury. The judge delivered the minimum sentence of 4 months with hard labour which was served in Worcester jail.


The Electric Tavern, Belgrave Road, Balsall Heath, Birmingham in 1961.

This was really the start of the troubles for George and his now two brothers. Their mother’s behaviour left something to be desired during their father’s absence and in 1891 he started divorce proceedings which at first Sarah did not contest. A divorce nisi was granted with custody of the three boys going to John. However at the last minute Sarah and the co-respondent delivered evidence of John’s far from exemplary behaviour during the marriage. The divorce nisi was rescinded and considerable costs were awarded against John.

George’s parents now went their separate ways but John Isaac junior, George and the third son Frederick continued to live with their father. Possibly to escape a troubled home life, on 20th October 1898 twenty year old George enlisted in the army in Birmingham. For no apparent reason he made himself a year younger than he really was. He measured 5ft 6inches and weighed in at 128lbs (9st 2lbs). Again for no apparent reason he was assigned to the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons and 4 days later reported for duty at their headquarters in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland as Private 4049.

His attestation papers show he was working as a “Barman” at the time he enlisted reflecting his parents’ dalliance as licensees. He also gave his father as his next of kin and living at 36 Poplar Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham. So here the Smethwick connection begins – whilst the northern half of residential Poplar Road lay in Birmingham, the southern half was in Smethwick (this arrangement persists to this day). Daily shopping would have been carried out in the adjacent developing Bearwood Road which by the author’s time was Smethwick’s poshest of three shopping centres with a major Edwardian residential development to its west.

The 6th Dragoons arrived in South Africa in November 1899 but George was not with them. He went as one of the first wave of reinforcements and left Albert Docks on 16th April 1900 aboard transport ship No.23 the SS Narrung. The shipping records do not tell us how many men of the 6th Dragoons were aboard but it does list three Lieutenants of the regiment. On 23rd April the Narrung called into Las Palmas for coaling and arrived at Cape Town on 8th May 1900 – a fast voyage of 16 days. Whether George and his comrades disembarked at Cape Town or the next stop of Port Elizabeth is not clear. After having been involved in the Relief of Kimberley the three squadrons of the 6th Dragoons already in South Africa were diversely employed and which one George joined is not known but during the second half of 1900 the regiment seems to have come back together as part of the 1st Cavalry Brigade which was involved in driving the Boers northwards.

In October 1900, on the second anniversary of his joining the regiment at Dundalk, George was awarded a Good Conduct Badge and pay rise. His service records show his time in South Africa was broken by 8 months (from mid-March to mid-November 1901) spent back on home service. One cannot be certain which ship George sailed back home on but the Hospital Ship SS Simla arrived at Plymouth on the right date and not all those on board were invalids or convalescents. After his arrival home we can presume he was granted a period of leave as he appeared on the 31st March 1901 Census return for 402 Bearwood Road, Smethwick. The return lists his father as head of the household and a “fruiterer” on his own account. As already pointed out Bearwood Road in 1901 was definitely the place to try your hand at running a fruit shop. His father also appeared to have secured his divorce as he now had a wife called Jane. George is listed as “Soldier 6th Dragoons” and younger brother Fred was also listed but working as an “Art Metal worker” rather than an assistant in a fruit shop. It would appear that George’s father on remarriage had decided to add to his family as the penultimate entry was 4 year old Florrie Weston. The final entry is a visitor, a 46 year old widow named Liza Benbow – she has a later part to play in this story.

George’s stated affiliation to the 6th Dragoons is surprising as his service records show he was transferred to the 2nd (Queen’s Bays) Dragoon Guards on his arrival back in England and given a new service number of 5797. The 2nd Dragoon Guards were late in going to South Africa and George was with them from the outset leaving Southampton on the 15th November 1901 aboard transport ship No.91 SS Orotava with 457 comrades.

The shipping records do not tell us whether George had a fast or slow voyage this time but it is likely they disembarked in South Africa in early December 1901. George was to make a minimal contribution to the war efforts of the Queen’s Bays as his medical records show that on 2nd January 1902 at Norvals Pont he was to suffer an accident that was to hospitalise him for 55 days and lead to him being invalided home. His horse threw and dragged him resulting in a diagnosis of “concussion of the cervical spine”. The treatment was “splints” but the available medical opinion seemed to be that he would make a full recovery and return to being an “efficient” soldier. An inquiry was held which established he was on duty at the time and he was not at fault. On 14th March 1902 he boarded transport ship No.3 SS Dilwara along with just over 500 other invalids and convalescents. On arrival back in England he was transferred to the military hospital at Shorncliffe Barracks in Kent where 3 days later he went down with Scarlet Fever. His medical notes also show that a minor problem with his heart had been detected.

In early December 1902, whilst still in the army, he was diagnosed with “Valvular Disease of the Heart” which George blamed on the Scarlet Fever. Question 21, on his Medical History Record, asked the medic in charge of his case to assess “to what extent his capability for earning a livelihood was impaired”, the rather bleak answer was half. The only recommended treatment was a “heart tonic”. The medic considered his condition was neither caused nor aggravated by his army service. Finally the medic recommended George for discharge to which George agreed. The administrative wheels seemed to have moved slowly because it was over 3 months before George was formally discharged “medically unfit” on 14th February 1903.

A year later George married Agnes Florence Randall who was the younger sister of John Isaac junior’s wife. The marriage and Agnes’s birth in 1884 were both registered in the King’s Norton Registration District which as the time also included Harborne and Smethwick. They went on to have three children in fairly short order and by the time of the 1911 census were living at 8 Winson St, Birmingham – Winson St is just a bit more than a stone’s throw from the Smethwick border. They were not alone as also living there were John Isaac senior and junior, with John Isaac junior’s wife of twelve years named Ann. John Isaac senior had returned to being a “brassfounder” and John Isaac junior was a “vanman” for a local bakery which I presume involved a horse and cart. However, George had, in my opinion, the best job as he was a tram driver for Birmingham Corporation, and thus he continued to be in uniform. Missing from the census was John Isaac senior’s second wife Jane, she was living with her daughter in a single room rented from the 1901 visitor, Liza Benbow.

George was not done with being a soldier as on 13th October 1914 aged 35 years and 2 months he attested to re-join the Queens Bays. His attestation papers show he agreed that a third of his pay should go directly to his wife and children. The army seem to have recognised his medical condition and he was to spend the next two years as Private 5439 at the Western Cavalry Depot at Newport in Monmouthshire. During January 1917 he was transferred to the Army Reserve to allow him to re-take up his former civilian employment. At the end of the war he was fully discharged.

The 1921 Census found George still living at 8 Winson Street with his family and his brother John Isaac and his family. However, I suspect they had divided the property into two as they appear on separate returns for the same address. John was still delivering bread but George was working for the internationally famous Dunlop’s as a “Commissionaire” – so still in uniform. George made an intriguing mistake when he completed the 1921 return by naming his 14 year old son as George Albert rather than John Albert. I suspect his 9 year old nephew George Albert spent a lot of time in George’s half of 8 Winson Street as his mother (who was also George’s double sister-in-law) along with her nephew worked for a local wood turning firm, John Albert as a wood-turner and his Aunt Ann as a French polisher. George’s 16 year old daughter, Florence Georgina worked as a shop assistant for a local green grocer and I suspect 13 year old Doris Irene was champing at the bit to leave school – as I said they were born in short order. I also suspect the absence of John Isaac senior. who passed away in early 1919, made 8 Winson Street a happier house.

At the time of the 1939 Register George & Agnes were still living at 8 Winson Street but their children had all left home and John Isaac junior and wife Ann had moved up the road to 108. Sadly 61 year old George gave his occupation as “retired owing to illness”.

The 1939 Register also showed 63 year old John Isaac junior was retired owing to illness, he died in 1940 and his funeral was held at Uplands Cemetery, Smethwick. Despite his illness George lived to celebrate his 73rd birthday before passing away at 8 Winson Street on 12th February 1952. His death certificate tells us the cause of death was a “cerebral thrombosis” and his son John Albert Winson of 70 Marlborough Road, Smethwick was present at the death. Sadly the death certificate dispels my hope that George ended his working days in uniform at Dunlop’s as his occupation was given as “Metal Works warehouse packer (retired)”. Still it is quite possible that we passed each other on shopping trips to Cape Hill (not as posh as Bearwood Road) albeit starting at opposite ends. Agnes appears to have managed to celebrate her 80th birthday as the death of an Agnes F Weston born in 1884 was registered in Falmouth in 1965.

George was an accidental discovery whilst I was following up on another Smethwickian called George Weston who died of disease in South Africa in 1901. His qualification as a Smethwickian is a little marginal but I have managed to mention Smethwick 8 times in the above write up. As he never entered a theatre of war during WW1, George only had one medal to show for over 8 years of army service – the Queen’s South Africa Medal with 5 clasps – the 3 State clasps and 2 Date clasps. I wonder if he wore it with pride when on duty as a Commissionaire at Dunlop’s – I hope he did.

Did George drive No. 395? This 1911 Birmingham Corporation tram is now housed in the Birmingham Science Museum.



When George completed the 1921 Census he gave the name and address of his employer as "The Dunlop Rubber Company, Aston". Dunlop's had several manufacturing sites in Birmingham at the time of which Fort Dunlop was the most famous. This photo shows their premises in Rocky Lane, Aston. I am now looking for a photo with a commissionaire standing outside the front door!