George Lawrence Price facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George Lawrence Price
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Price, c. 1914-18
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| Born | December 15, 1892 Falmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Died | November 11, 1918 (aged 25) Ville-sur-Haine, Belgium |
| Buried |
St Symphorien Military Cemetery, Mons, Belgium
(50°25′56″N 4°0′38″E / 50.43222°N 4.01056°E) |
| Allegiance | Canada/British Empire |
| Service/ |
Canadian Corps (Army) |
| Years of service | 1917–1918 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | 28th 'Northwest' Battalion Canadian Infantry (Saskatchewan Regiment) aka. 'the Nor'westers' |
| Battles/wars | Amiens, Cambrai, the 'Pursuit to Mons' |
Private George Lawrence Price was a brave Canadian soldier. He was born on December 15, 1892, and sadly died on November 11, 1918. He is known as the very last soldier from the British Empire to be killed in the First World War.
Early Life
George Lawrence Price was born in Falmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. This was on December 15, 1892. He grew up in a place called Port Williams, Nova Scotia. George was the third child in his family.
When he was a young man, George moved to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. On October 15, 1917, he was conscripted. This means he was officially called to join the army. He became part of the 28th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
The Last Day of the War
On November 11, 1918, the war was almost over. The 2nd Canadian Division's 6th Canadian Infantry Brigade was chosen to attack that day. George Price's unit, the 28th 'North-West' Battalion, was part of this attack.
Their orders were to advance from a town called Frameries. They needed to reach the village of Havre. They also had to secure all the bridges over the Canal du Centre. The battalion started moving quickly at 4:00 a.m. They faced some German resistance but pushed through.
By 9:00 a.m., they reached the canal. They were facing a town called Ville-sur-Haine. At this point, they received an important message. All fighting would stop at 11:00 a.m.
George Price and another soldier, Art Goodmurphy, were worried. Their position by the canal was open. They could see German positions across the canal. Bricks had been removed from house windows, creating places to shoot from.
Price and Goodmurphy decided to check the houses. They took a small group of five men across a bridge. As they checked the houses, they found German soldiers. The Germans were setting up machine guns. They opened fire on the Canadians. But the Canadians were safe behind the brick walls of a house.
The Germans realized they were surrounded. They started to retreat. A Belgian family in one of the houses warned the Canadians to be careful. George Price then stepped out of the house into the street. A German sniper shot him.
He was pulled back into a house. A young Belgian nurse tried to help him. But George Price died a minute later. It was 10:58 a.m. on November 11, 1918. This was just two minutes before the armistice (the peace agreement) began at 11:00 a.m.
Remembering George Price
George Price was first buried in a local cemetery. Later, his remains were moved. He is now buried in the St Symphorien Military Cemetery. This cemetery is near Mons. It is also where the first and last British soldiers killed in the war are buried.
In 1968, 50 years after his death, his old army friends visited Ville-sur-Haine. They placed a special memorial plaque on a house wall. It was near where he died. The plaque says:
To the memory of 256265 Private George Lawrence Price, 28th North West Battalion, 6th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division, killed in action near this spot at 10.58 hours, November 11th, 1918, the last Canadian soldier to die on the Western Front in the First World War. Erected by his comrades, November 11th, 1968.
The house is no longer there. But the plaque is now on a stone monument. It is still very close to the spot where he fell.
In 1991, the town of Ville-sur-Haine built a new footbridge. It goes over the Canal du Centre. The town decided to name it the George Price Footbridge.
On April 24, 2015, the local school in Ville-sur-Haine was renamed. It is now called École George Price.
In 2016, George Price's medals and the memorial plaque were given to the Canadian War Museum.
On November 10, 2018, the Canadian Governor General, Julie Payette, attended a special event. A new monument was opened in Ville-sur-Haine. It is shaped like a teardrop and honors George Price.
In Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, a plaque was put up in 2021. It remembers "The Last Commonwealth Soldier Killed In First World War."
Images for kids
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Memorial dedicated to the regiment of the British Expeditionary Force which took part in actions near Mons (Belgium).
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École George Price
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See also
- Augustin Trébuchon, the last French soldier killed in World War I, 10:45 a.m. November 11, 1918
- George Edwin Ellison, the last British soldier killed in World War I, 9:30 a.m. November 11, 1918
- Henry Gunther, the last American soldier killed in World War I, 10:59 a.m. November 11, 1918
- Marcel Toussaint Terfve, the last Belgian soldier killed in World War I, at 10:45 a.m. November 11, 1918
- YouTube: END OF WAR - the final minutes of WWI. The last minutes of the soldiers Augustin Trébuchon, George Lawrence Price und Henry Nicholas Gunther
