Current Information:

Born-Rotherhithe

Age-26

Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery, Helles, Gallipoli

Gallipoli 1915

On 25 April, British, Australian and New Zealand forces landed on the Gallipoli peninsula. The plan was that these forces would soon defeat a demoralised Turkish army, knock Turkey out of the war, open up the Mediterranean to the Russian navy and threaten Austro-Hungary from the south. None of these things were achieved despite nine months of hard fighting in terrible conditions. It was an heroic failure.

By the middle of June 1915, there had been three attempts at Helles to capture the village of Krithia and the heights of Achi Baba beyond it and all three had failed at great cost in human life. Future plans now revolved around fresh divisions arriving from Britain but that was still six weeks off and in the meantime it was a matter of holding the line and through a series of small attacks and raids trying to undermine, often literally, the Turkish positions.

On 17th June, 1915, 1st Scottish Borderers, 87 Brigade, 29th Division, moved forward to reserve trenches near White House to assist the Royal Engineers. On 19th June the British front and support lines were heavily bombarded, killing four men and wounding another eight. The following day, 20th June, 1st Scottish Borderers moved into the front line. George Brooker died of wounds on 20th June, 1915, but as yet there is no information as to when and where he was wounded.