Private George Pepper
2480 & 265515 Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment)
235495 Lance Corporal (Acting & Unpaid) 6th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment
George was born in 1880 Gotham, Notts youngest son of George Pepper a hawker and his wife Lavinia nee Lee. George had brothers and sisters Walter, Edith, Louisa, William, and Amy. George grew up at 16, Kegworth Road, Gotham, near Rushcliffe, Notts. In 1899 his father died and in 1901 his widow Lavinia was managing to continue to earn a living as a general dealer. It is not clear what became of his mother after that, whether she re-married or died but George later moved to the marital home of his sister Edith and Albert Marshall at ‘Pretoria Cottages’, Laverick Road, Jacksdale and this is the address he gave when he enlisted.
George enlisted on 13th September 1914 at Nottingham and his service record records that he had been a coal miner in the employ of James Oakes, so had obviously moved to the Jacksdale area due to his work. He saw active service in France, disembarking there on 28th February 1915. In 1917 he was hospitalised with pleurisy on three separate occasions. On 27th May 1918 he was appointed to Lance Corporal unpaid. On 19th October 1918, right at the very end of the war he was wounded in action, sustaining a gunshot and shrapnel wound to his right foot. George served for a total of 4 years and 133 days, of which 332 days were spent in France.
George was awarded the 1914-15 Star, the British War and Victory Medals. He was discharged from the Army on 25th February 1919 and paid a war gratuity of £35.