Thank you to Westcott Local History Group for allowing Dorking Museum to publish their First World War research.
Our memorial records his name as ‘G.Kennison’, but it is believed that he was George William Kenison, son of Henry Silas and Annie Kenison of Knights’ Cottages, Westcott. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the medal records show him as William George Kenison of the 2/22nd London Regiment. His parents emigrated to America in 1915 and this may be why the errors in recording his name and regiment were not resolved.
George was born on 23rd Jun 1893 and baptised on 27th August 1893, at St Nicolas Church, Littleton, near Guildford. His father, a labourer, and mother were living in Littleton.
The unit’s full title was 2nd/22nd (County of London) Battalion (The Queen’s). Previously a Volunteer Battalion of the Queen’s, it had been re-formed in August 1914 as a unit of the Territorial Force and went to France in June 1916 as part of the 60th Division; it was transferred to Salonika in November and then moved to Egypt in July 1917. The Division then took part in the Third Battle of Gaza where they were involved in the capture of Beersheba and the key point of Tel el Sheria. This put the Turkish Army in full retreat and opened the way for the capture of Jerusalem and the occupation of Palestine. The advance continued into Lebanon and Syria, and ended with the Turkish Armistice on 30th October 1918.
We do not know what happened to George Kenison. He died aged 26 on 28th December 1918, two months after the war ended. It is likely that he was a patient in one of the six military hospitals in Alexandria. He is buried in Plot H.71 in the Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery which holds 1,700 graves from the First World War and 1,305 graves from the Second – most of these burials took place from the hospitals.
George had an older brother called Albert, who enlisted as a regular soldier in the Worcestershire Regiment on 27th February 1909. He served with the Worcesters throughout the war until he was discharged on 6th March 1918. He died in Epsom in 1922, aged 32.
| Born | Littleton, Surrey | |
| Lived | Westcott, Surrey | |
| Son of | Mr and Mrs H. Kenison of Glendale, Oregon, USA | |
| Regiment | 2nd/22nd Battalion, London Regiment | |
| Number | 682419 | |
| Date of Death | 28th December 1918 | |
| Place of Death | Alexandria, Egypt | |
| Cause of Death | Died | |
| Age | 26 | |
| Memorial | Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt. |
