Private George Bannister
5182 Royal Army Medical Corps
Lived at 9 Massey Street
Prisoner of War (exchanged 29th June 1915)
Burnley Express 25th November 1914

George had an interesting early life. Research shows he had two older sisters that he never mentioned and five half-sisters as well as the brothers my dad remembers. His mother,Betty Bannister, never married. She was brought up in a clog shop in Parker Street owned by her father. When I was little (George died when I was about ten)George used to tell us stories about when he was in the war but they weren't true! He used to tell us about shooting lions in Africa when in fact I believe he fought on the Western Front and was captured. He never mentioned that. He wrote to my Grandma while he was a prisoner and she wrote back and sent parcels. When he got home they burnt all the letters. If only they hadn't!

(courtesy of Pat Bannister)