George Swift

War Service

George enlisted in the West Riding Regiment in Halifax on the 7th November 1914 and was given the service number 14443. A week later he was transferred to Aldershot and on the 24th of November was discharged from service having been found medically unfit for service under paragraph 392 iii of the King’s regulations (not likely to become an efficient soldier).
This seems to have been quite a common occurrence, especially in miners.

Family Life

Only one generation of the Swift family was born in Brotherton. This came about because John Thomas Swift, who had been born in Ackworth about 1864 married a Brotherton Girl. She was Elizabeth Greenwood the sister of John Matthew Greenwood (see account of his life).
They married on the 25th May 1885 in Brotherton. By 1891 they were living in Low Street and had three children all born in Brotherton. They were John T. (1896), David (1898) and Alice (1899). At the time John Thomas was employed in a local colliery although by the time George was born (1891) the parish records indicate that he was then employed as ‘Tinplate worker’.
The time at which the family can be traced is in the Census of 1911. The entire family were living at No. 7 Hope Street, Fryston. John Thomas was by then described as an Electrician though no mention is made of where he was employed. The four eldest sons were all working in the coal mining industry with David and William being “Motor Drivers”, George was a Pony Driver, and John T. was a ‘Clammer’.
The address at Hope Street was the one that George gave when he enlisted in the army.
Nothing is yet known of what happened to George after his discharge. It is most probable that he returned to his home in Fryston and continued to work as a miner.