John George Gale was born on 7 March 1873 in Lifton, Devonshire (now called Devon) a son of George and Susannah Gale. His birth was registered in the 2nd quarter of 1873 in the Tavistock Registration District, Devon. He was baptised on 22 April 1873 at the Marystow Church of St Mary the Virgin, Chillaton, Lifton, PL16 0JA.
In the 1881 census he is shown as John George Gale, aged 8 years and living as a relative at 20 Willow Street, Plymouth, Devon, the home of William and Betsy Webber. His birthplace was recorded as Mary Tavy, Devon.
On 6 May 1889 he enlisted as a Boy Class 2 at HMS Impregnable, an old ship of 121 guns that was used for training, based in Devonport, Devon. His service number was D/149254 and he gave his occupation as a porter and his place of birth as Lifton, Devon. Three days later he was transferred to HMS Lion an 80 guns two-decker ship that had been converted to a training ship, also based in Devonport and where on 15 May 1890 he was promoted to Boy Class 1.
On 17 December 1890 he was transferred to HMS Volage where on 7 March 1891, his eighteenth birthday, he signed on for 12 years service as an Ordinary Seaman. When the 1891 census was undertaken on 5 April 1891 he was described as aged 18 years and an ordinary seaman serving aboard HMS Volage, a second class cruiser under the command of Captain William A. D. Acland, that was part of the training squadron anchored off Spithead, Hampshire.
On 14 October 1891 he was transferred to HMS Camperdown where on 13 January 1892 he was rated as an Able Seaman. Various transfers took place to: HMS Royal Sovereign; HMS Victory 1; HMS Vivid 1; HMS Cambridge; HMS Defiance and HMS Howe where on 8 July 1896 he was promoted to Leading Seaman. More transfers took place back to: HMS Vivid 1; HMS Cambridge; HMS Defiance and HMS Cambridge where on 17 August 1897 he was promoted to Petty Officer 2nd Class.
He was again moved to other ships: HMS Vivid 1; HMS Devastation and HMS Nile where on 6 June 1900 he was promoted to Ship's Corporal Class 2. He was serving on HMS Hyacinth on 6 December 1900 when he was rated as Ship's Corporal Class 1 and as Assistant Master-at -Arms on 3 September 1904.
In the 2nd quarter of 1906 he married Isabel Rolleston Weeks (b.1865) in the Plymouth Registration District and it was whilst serving on HMS Leviathan that he was promoted to Master-at-Arms on 15 October 1908.
When the 1911 census was undertaken on the night of 2 April 1911 he was recorded as John G. Gale, aged 38 years, married and a Master-at-Arms serving aboard HMS Cambrian, a second class cruiser under the command of Captain Edward W. E. Wemyss, that was serving on the Australian station at Latitude 34S, Longitude 154.55E. The census form also showed his religion as Church of England and gave his place of birth as Plymouth, Devon.
When leaving the Royal Navy he was transferred into the Royal Fleet Reserve, service number Dev. A.4097 and he took up a position in the London Postal Service, but on the outbreak of World War One he was recalled to naval service.
Probate and naval records confirm that he lived at 17 Lime Tree Road, Peverell, Plymouth and that he died from disease, aged 42 years, on 24 November 1915 at the Royal Naval Hospital, East Stonehouse, Plymouth. Probate was granted on 29 August 1916 to his widow and his effects totalled £353-10s-8d. His body was buried in Plot Church K, Row 18, Grave 51 in the Plymouth (Ford Park) Cemetery, Ford Park Road, Plymouth, PL4 6NT.
He is shown as 'GALE, J.G.' on the Western Postal District war memorial in Mount Pleasant, London, WC2, He is also commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website, on the Imperial War Museum's Lives of the First World War website, on the A Street Near You website and on page 136 of the Post Office Fellowship of Remembrance's Book of Remembrance 1914-1920.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
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