CHANCE George Arthur

Royal Air Force Casualty Report:
On the 8th July 1918 George Chance was filling the petrol yank of a De Havilland D.H.6. aircraft, serial no C9347 when a gun accidentally fired. He died of his injuries the following day at Fargo Military Hospital, Larkhill, Salisbury Plain.

George Arthur Chance, occupation: soldier, resident St Pauls Walk, St Pauls died in the Military Hospital, Salisbury.  He was buried in Astwood Cemetery on 13th July 1918, aged 35 years, Dissenter.  The ceremony was performed by the Reverend Thomas Hunter.

Source for additional information: Register of burials in Astwood Cemetery, entry no 40173, available on microfilm at Worcestershire Archives.

Appears in the Worcester/Worcestershire Roll of Honour Book for army casualties located in Worcester Cathedral.

A photograph of Second Class Airman Chance of Worcester can be found in Berrow’s Worcester Journal Supplement, Saturday 20th July 1918, available at Worcestershire Archives.

The following information has been researched by Geoff Hill:
George Chance joined the Great Western Railway as a carriage trimmer on 2nd March 1899, at Worcester.

1901 Census
Resident at 13 Washington Street, Worcester

George Chance married Ada Gamson in February 1911 and on the 1911 Census: George aged 27, coach trimmer (railways), and Ada were resident at 2 Back 32 Dollman Street, Vauxhall, Aston, Birmingham

It appears that George enlisted on 29th October 1917 and probably served in the Royal Flying Corps, transferring into the RAF on its formation on the 1st April 1918. His wife is noted as ‘deceased’ on his RAF records. George Chance was a Rigger in 109 Squadron, a bombing training squadron. On 8th July George was injured at Amesbury. He died the next day at the Military Hospital, Salisbury, Wiltshire, of “injuries received from machine gun bullet”. The fact that he died in the UK presented the opportunity for his body to be brought to Worcester for burial.