b. 03/10/1895 Innellan, Argyllshire, Scotland. d. 01/12/1917 Gonnelieu, France.
George Henry Tatham Paton (1895-1917) was born at Ashgrove, Innellan, near Dunoon, Argyllshire, Scotland on 3rd October 1895. His father, George William Paton, was originally from Greenock and became known as the “Match King”. On 28th April 1886 he married Henrietta “Etta” Tatham nee Henderson who came from the Orkney Islands. George was the Chairman and Managing Director of Bryant & May Ltd of London, Liverpool, Leeds and Glasgow. He was knighted in 1930 for public services. He died on return from holiday in the French Riviera on board the P&O liner RMS Malaja. George junior had two sisters, the youngest of whom died aged at just two days old.
George H T Paton VC MC
Paton was educated at Rottingdean School in Brighton and at Clifton College, Bristol, and when nineteen he joined the Army in September 1914, having completed his studies in Germany and Austria. He was gazetted Second Lieutenant in the 17th Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) making First Lieutenant on 3rd October 1915, and later transferred to the Grenadier Guards in January 1916 and was posted to the 4th Battalion on the 23rd July 1916, as a member of No.2 Company. He was involved in the fighting on The Somme in September and became Acting Captain on the 4th June 1917, being given command of No. 4 Company. On the first day of the Third Ypres battle, the Grenadier Guards dealt with cutting through barricades and obstructions in the trenches and used hand grenades and rifle grenades as weapons, for his part in this fighting Paton was awarded the Military Cross in August 1917.
On 1st December 1917 at Gonnelieu in France, Acting Captain Paton found his unit’s left flank exposed when another unit had been driven back by the enemy. He readjusted the line trench by trench whilst under enemy fire and he made contact with No. 3 Company who were without officers at this point in the battle. He rescued several wounded men and after four counter attacks by the enemy, was mortally wounded.
He is buried Metz-en-Couture Communal Cemetery, France and his VC was awarded posthumously to his parents who went to Buckingham Palace on the 2nd March 1918 to be presented with his medal by the King. Paton is commemorated on several memorials including the book of remembrance in St. Mary’s Church, Bow, where there is a plaque to his regiment, on the Dunoon Memorial, the memorial at Innellan and he is one of thirty names on the war memorial at Little Hallingbury, Essex. He also has a VC commemorative stone at Innellan War Memorial, unveiled on 1st December 2017.
In addition to the VC and MC, he was awarded the British War Medal 1914-20 and Victory Medal 1914-19. The VC is held by the Grenadier Guards HQ at the Guards Museum, Wellington Barracks, Birdcage Walk, London.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: GRENADIER GUARDS RHQ, WELLINGTON BARRACKS, LONDON.
BURIAL PLACE: METZ-EN-COUTURE COMMUNAL CEMETERY (BRITISH EXTENSION), FRANCE.
PLOT II, ROW E, GRAVE 24
Acknowledgement:
Kevin Brazier – Cemetery Map.