George Dakin

GEORGE DAKIN

85516 Private, George Dakin, 1st Battalion, Kings Own Royal Lancaster Regiment.

Born in 1886 at Macclesfield,, son of Edwin and Harriet (nee, Forrest) Dakin, of 166, Hurdsfield Road, later to move to 1, Masons Lane, Macclesfield. George was educated at Daybrook Street School and he attended at Hurdsfield Church and Sunday school. George was enlisted into the regular army, and after completing his original term of service with the colours he was for a time, coachman tote late Rev. W Laycock, afterwards he was employed by the Great Central Railway.

When the 1911 census was taken, George was already serving in the regular army. At the outbreak of the war George was called up as a reservist with the Royal Lancashire’s with whom he had served seven years in India. George married Mary E. Williams in the third quarter of 1914 at Macclesfield, three days before he was mobilised. He was drafted with the British Expeditionary Force to France in August 1914. During the battle at Hill 60, where his regiment lost heavily, he acted as a despatch rider, and was recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal, for taking messages into the firing line under heavy rifle fire and artillery fire. Subsequently his wife received the certificate that the medal would be awarded to him. However no record of this award is displayed on the D.C.M. honours list, George was killed in action, Monday 24 May 1915, he was aged 29 years.

Medals; 1914 Star and Clasp, British War Medal and Victory Medal

Private, George Dakin has no known resting place and he is commemorated on the Menim Gate Memorial, Ypres, West Vlaanderen, Belgium.
C.W.G.C Ref: – Panel 12