George Henry Higgins was born in Bath, Somerset, in the spring of 1888. The fifth of fifteen children, his parents were Charles and Sarah Higgins. Charles was a carter-turned-labourer for the city’s corporation, and this is work into which George also went.

The 1911 census recorded the Higgins family living in a six-roomed house at 15 London Place, Bath. By this point, Charles and Sarah were sharing their home with ten of their children – including George – plus four of their grandchildren by their married third-oldest daughter, Sarah. Five of the household were bringing in a wage: George and his father were employed by the Corporation, daughter Rose was a factory hand, while two of George’s younger brothers were errand boys.

Charles died in the autumn of 1914, and George was suddenly the head of the household, with war raging across Europe. The following summer he enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery: this may have been out of duty to his King, but it is likely that, as the oldest man in the house, the army offered the prospect of a regular, decent wage.

Full service details for Gunner Higgins have been lost in the annals of time, but his unit – the 92nd (Howitzer) Brigade – served in some of the fiercest battles of the conflict. Arriving in France for training on 21st July 1915, it is likely that George saw fighting at the Somme in 1916 and 1918, and at Ypres in 1917. By the end of the war, he had been promoted to the rank of Lance Bombardier for his service.

George’s older brother, Charles, died in the fighting in Northern France, but by the start of 1919, George himself had returned to home soil, and was attached to the regiment’s Clearing Office in Woolwich, Kent.

His health was being impacted by this point, and he was admitted to the Royal Herbert Hospital in nearby Shooter’s Hill. His records simply record that he was suffering from ‘disease‘, and it was this that was to kill him. He died on 17th February 1919, at the age of 30 years old.

The body of George Henry Higgins was taken back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the sweeping grounds of Bath’s Locksbrook Cemetery, not far from where Sarah still lived.

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