George Bradley was born on 20th August 1898 at Thorner, the youngest of three children, and the only son, born to George and Martha Bradley. The 1911 Census records George as a 12-year-old schoolboy at Western College in Cold Bath Road, Harrogate; his widowed mother and sisters Elizabeth and Martha were living at Cliffe House in Kearby-with-Netherby. Martha Bradley died on 16th March 1916; a sale of the stock and household furnishings followed on 2nd May.
George, who had been working as a butcher, enlisted into the army on 20th February 1917 and was first posted to the 10th Training Reserve Battalion at Rugeley. He was sent to France to join the 21st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers but later transferred to the 1/7th (Robin Hood) Battalion Sherwood Foresters.
As the German Lys offensive that had begun on 9th April continued to push forward, 1/7th Sherwood Foresters received orders on 13th April to move forward into a support position along the railway line north of the village of Neuve Eglise (present-day Nieuwkerke). At 1am the following day, the battalion relieved the 12th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles, with A and B companies taking up front line positions east of the village of Wulverghem from 28.T.6.c.7.7 along the road to 28.T.5.d.3.2 thence to 28.T.11.a.8.5. [Trench map coordinates can be located on a modern map using the excellent tmapper resource.] B Company came under attack, but the enemy was easily repulsed. The battalion withdrew on the 15th to a new line south of Kemmel, approximately from 28.N.33.d.0.7 to 28.N.27.c.9.7.
George was taken prisoner-of-war on 15th April 1918, presumably during his battalion's withdrawal. Although he was captured unwounded, he died of gastritis and exhaustion at St. Marien-Hospital in Osterfeld-in-Westfalen on either 23rd or 24th October 1918 (German records vary).
In 1923, the graves of Commonwealth servicemen who had died throughout Germany were brought together into four permanent cemeteries. George Bradley was reinterred at that time in Hamburg Cemetery. The inscription on his headstone, presumably chosen by his sisters, is HE GAVE HIS LIFE THAT WE MIGHT LIVE IN PEACE.