Photograph courtesy of the Imperial War Museum
The youngest daughter of six children of George and Elizabeth King, Grace was born in Abinger Hammer on April 3rd 1893. Her father was a builder and two of her brothers were apprenticed as carpenters.
In 1911 Grace was attending a boarding school, Townley House in Ramsgate. In early 1917 Grace King went to work near Paris with the Cantine des Dames Anglaises (the English Ladies’ Canteen), an organisation which comprised of around 50 volunteer-run stations, established in France by the British Committee of the French Red Cross to support soldiers during the First World War. They provided refreshments, recreation rooms, and comfort to troops behind the front lines.
Grace died on 28 July 1917. Her exact cause of death is unknown but conditions in and around the trenches promoted the spread of disease. She was buried at St James’ Church Abinger. The inscription on her grave reads “A soldiers grave the best for thee”.
| Born | Abinger Hammer, Dorking | |
| Daughter of | George and Elizabeth King of Abinger Hammer, Dorking | |
| Worked | Cantine Des Dames Anglaises | |
| Date of Death | 28th July 1917 | |
| Place of Death | Paris, France | |
| Age | 24 | |
| Cemetery | St James’ Church, Abinger |
