George Arthur William BOOLE was born in
Siddington, Gloucestershire on 30 March 1877 and baptised in West Down, North Devon on 26 August 1878, At the age of 17, whilst working as a labourer
for Mr. Mitchell & Co. in Barnstaple, he joined the Militia (4th. Battalion of the
Devonshire Regiment) and on 10 June 1895 enlisted with the Royal Marines in Exeter. Training was at the RM Depot at Walmer in Kent before being posted to the Plymouth Division. The
majority of George’s service was on ships of the Channel Squadron before
volunteering for duty with the Hong Kong Police and leaving England in February 1900.
By 1904 George was a Lance Sergeant acting as Assistant Foreman and Engine Driver of the Floating Fire Engine. In April 1904 a huge fire broke out at Godown No 23 of the HK & Kln Wharf & Godown Co in Tsim Sha Tsui. The godown in question was storing a quantiy of very flammable material and it was not long before the whole building exploded. Fire engines raced to the scene and the men worked all night fighing the flames and damping down. During the height of the blaze Dr. Gibson made his rounds attending to those who needed treatment - he was followed by a coolie carrying bottles of spirits for the men. It was stated that:
"the restorative effects of these stimulants were noticed to have a good result and the men worked harder than ever after receiving their "nobbler"".
By 1904 George was a Lance Sergeant acting as Assistant Foreman and Engine Driver of the Floating Fire Engine. In April 1904 a huge fire broke out at Godown No 23 of the HK & Kln Wharf & Godown Co in Tsim Sha Tsui. The godown in question was storing a quantiy of very flammable material and it was not long before the whole building exploded. Fire engines raced to the scene and the men worked all night fighing the flames and damping down. During the height of the blaze Dr. Gibson made his rounds attending to those who needed treatment - he was followed by a coolie carrying bottles of spirits for the men. It was stated that:
"the restorative effects of these stimulants were noticed to have a good result and the men worked harder than ever after receiving their "nobbler"".
On 18th. September 1906
a severe typhoon hit Hong
Kong killing hundreds
and causing considerable damage. Guests taking breakfast at the Hong Kong Hotel
saw the roof of the new Post Office being carried away on the winds. The press
reported:
“The gale kept
ripping out planks here and there until the structure looked as if it had been
‘stormed at by shot and shell’. These planks went whirling away like scraps of
paper some dropping far out to sea, others boomeranging into neighbouring
verandahs. Passengers and sightseers on the streets ran great risks. Two
policemen passing that way were nearly struck just before the big collapse took
place. What was left on the roof lifted and swayed giddily uprooting or
disconnecting the supporting timbers and scaffolding. These crumpled down like
a house of cards making a horrible noise and the roof followed with a sidewise
lurch, slowly, almost gracefully, until it went to pieces with the rest on the
street below.”
There were many daring
acts of courage. On seeing a man being blown into the harbour Mr. Bevan and an
Indian constable went to his rescue. The constable unwrapped his turban, Bevan
snatched one end of this and jumped into the water and was able to get a grip
on the man. The couple were then pulled ashore by the constable.
Perhaps the saddest of stories concerned the
Donaldson family who were living on a houseboat named the Kongnam. Mr.
Donaldson was an assistant with Messrs. Butterfield and Swire and although
quiet in nature was well liked by his colleagues. Mrs. Donaldson was a dance
teacher. The Kongnam took a real battering from the waves and when the
sea washed away the deck-cabins Mr. Donaldson snatched up their baby and
attempted to rush to safety but a wave carried them both into the sea. Mrs. Donaldson with her four year old son and
two Chinese ladies huddled together until the boat lurched and they too were
washed into the sea.
Police stations at Sham
Shui Po and Shatin were demolished; Police launch No. 1 was sunk at Tai Kok
Tsui and No. 2 launch went down at Castle Peak.
Inspector Kerr and his crew were rescued by a Customs cruiser. The Captain
Superintendent of Police in his report after the event commented that he was
satisfied that Lance Sergeant 128 Boole had done his best to try to save No. 1
launch. The Water Police saved over a hundred people but in the aftermath they
had the unpleasant duty of clearing wreckage and retrieving corpses. Constable
Mundy was so overcome from the smell that he had to be taken to hospital. Two
days after the storm it was reported that 1,688 bodies had been recovered.
1908 saw yet another
typhoon hit the colony. George was again in charge of No. 1 launch when during
the height of the storm it was hit and keeled over. George fell overboard and
was pulled to safety by Seaman 465 LAM Kun hoi - just in time to avoid being
crushed. Sergeants Clarke and Devney along with PC Ogg were also injured during
the storm.
George left Hong Kong in 1910 for a spell of Home Leave - much of the
time being spent in Ilfracombe with friends.
He returned to Hong Kong on board P & Os Malwa in December 1910
and was posted to the Water Police at Taipo - by now he was an Acting Crown
Sergeant.
Then one morning in July 1911 he began to feel unwell and developed a
fever. He knew he had to get himself to hospital but by the time his train
reached Kowloon he had lapsed into unconsciousness.
George died on the way to the hospital.
His
funeral took place in the evening of 10th. July 1911 and was attended by 100 comrades
and friends - and, as the inscription reads:
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
