PLUCKLEY - Kent Fallen

PILE G (brother)
Private T/ 240832 George PILE. 5 th Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Died of
disease on Tuesday 19 th June 1917. Born Pluckley. Enlisted Ashford. Resided Pluckley. Son of
Jesse and Frances Pile of Thorn Cottage, Pluckley, Ashford, Kent. Later of 8 Churchyard,
Ashford, Kent. Buried in the Amara War Cemetery, Amara, Iraq. Grave reference XIII.H.9.
The Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List gives –
Hawthorne Cottage, Pluckley
Private 203593 Harry PILE. 4 th Buffs (East Kent Regiment).
Corporal 8497 Stephen Charles PILE. 3 rd Buffs (East Kent Regiment).
Private 39648 William John PILE. 1 st S.N Hussars.
The 1901 census gives –
1, Thorne Cottage, Pluckley
Edwin PILE 55 Farm Labourer Lenham
Jesse 48 Pluckley
Frances 46 Wife Pluckley
Jesse 20 Gardener Pluckley
Frances 16 Pluckley
George 14 General Labourer Pluckley
Annie 11 Pluckley
Edwin 9 Pluckley
Walter 7 Pluckley
Stephen 4 Pluckley
Harry 2 Pluckley
George was mentioned in the book Turkish Front 1914-1918 written by Field Marshall Lord
Carver and published in 2003 (ISBN: 0-330-49108-3) –
The following words were spoken by Sergeant J.W FARNOL of the 5 th Battalion, The Buffs:
“One of our fellows, a jolly brave old chap named George PILE, had been sent back for
ammunition and could be seen with the box struggling along with it forward. The bullets were
striking all round. Every moment we expected him to drop but he managed to reach us, laughing
like a “dood wallah” [whatever that was]. They [the Turks] very nearly put paid to your name that
time Uncle some wag shouted. I don’t think that there’s a bullet made for me replied George.
There wasn’t, for poor Uncle died a natural death at Amarah this summer, after many more
narrow escapes of this nature”.
George was clearly a very brave man….
During June 1917 the 5 th battalion was inactive from a combat point of view. It spent most of the
time at Bakuba and Abu Kamed on the Diala River. The weather was hot and humid and the
battalion lost many men through heat stroke.
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