LOCAL LEGENDS (3)
BRIGADIER GENERAL SIR G.H. GATER

Son of W. H. Gater of Winslowe House, West End, George Henry Gater was born in 1886 and educated at Winchester and New College Oxford. He enlisted in the Sherwood Foresters at the outbreak of war and served at Gallipoli with their 9th Battalion. In that campaign he was promoted to Major and later awarded a DSO in March 1916. He went with his battalion to France in 1916 and served on the Somme, appointed to command 6th Btn. Lincolnshire Regt. as Lt. Colonel during which he was awarded a bar to his DSO. A General who led from the front it was whilst in France he was severely wounded in the face. In November 1917 he was promoted to Brigadier General in command of 62nd Brigade. A General at the age of 31, one of the youngest in the British Army having served only 3 years in the army! In 1918 he was again wounded during the last big German Offensive whilst commanding a scratch unit to stem the German tide. He was made a Commander of the Legion of Honour and awarded the Croix de Guerre as well as his DSO and bar and was mentioned in despatches four times, he was apparently next in line to command a Division when Peace was proclaimed. In January 1919 he returned to civilian life as Director of Education for Lancashire. Later in life he had a distinguished career  in the Civil Service and was knighted . He died on 14th January 1963 aged 77 years old.