George Christopher Buckingham was born 3 May 1877 in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, the fifth child and second son of James Buckingham and Fanny Carter. He, like his father, was a mason, but apparently yearned for more adventure. He tried to join the Oxfordshire Light Infantry but was rejected, perhaps for being too young. Maybe he thought he could pass for older--he was recorded as being 6' 1-1/4" tall with a "fresh" complexion, blue-gray eyes, and brown hair.

A bit short of his 18th birthday, he tried again, and was accepted into the 4th Battalion. That battalion was formed of new recruits while two other battalions were experienced soldiers. His early career was undistinguished, spent in England. The records note that he spent one day of April 1897 in "civil custody", was convicted of "illegal possession" (of what, we don't know), and forfeited pay. Four years later, he was promoted to Lance Corporal.

The Punjab Frontier Campaign

In February of 1898, the battalion was ordered to India, and were promptly dispatched to the "Punjab Frontier" in what is now Pakistan, joining the experienced battalions of the regiment. The British had been subsidizing the Afridi tribe to guard the crucial Khyber Pass to Afghanistan--in effect, paying "protection" money. In mid-1897, the tribe turned on the British, who dispatched a punitive expedition of about 55,000 soldiers--British, Indian and tribal. By the time George arrived, the rebellion was quelled and a new peace agreement was concluded shortly thereafter. The unit returned to England in March 1901, but not before George suffered from malaria and contracted syphilis. For their service, the members of the unit were awarded the India Medal with a clasp for the Punjab Frontier, 1894-1898.

Second Boer War

Five months later, the unit was sent to South Africa to join the Second Boer War. The war had begun in 1899 as two Boer states attempted to reduce British influence in South Africa. Because British victories late in 1900 were presumed to be decisive, experienced units were rotated out and replaced by less qualified units. The Boers resorted to guerilla warfare and the British responded by building a series of 8,000 fortified blockhouses and following a scorched earth policy of burning crops, salting fields, poisoning wells, and interning workers, women and children in concentration camps. George's 4th Battalion arrived at this stage of the war. Because the unit's members were awarded the Queen's South African medal with clasps for 1901, 1902, Cape Colony, and Orange Free State, we can assume that they fought in those two areas. The Orange Free State was effectively rendered desolate during this period, but fought on as paroled Boer prisoners treacherously took up arms again. The Orange fighters invaded the Cape Colony with an eye to inciting the pacified Boer population there. Warfare there became ugly with the intimidation of sympathizing civilians and public executions. The British public became distressed with the conduct of the war and non-combatant Boer leaders sensed futility. A peace was eventually arranged in 1902. The 4th battalion returned to Britain in October. George had suffered a gunshot wound in the left hip.

He was discharged in Jan 1907, following precisely 12 years of service. By this time, he had married Eleanor Harris and had two children, Christopher George James and Victor William Henry. They lived in a 3-room house in Chipping Norton along with George's father, James, who died in 1912.

At some point, probably after his father's death, George emigrated to Canada, living in Thetford Mines, Quebec. This became the world's largest asbestos-mining area. Perhaps George worked in the mines. It's unclear whether his family emigrated with him, but they certainly followed.

World War I
National hostilities in World War I began in August 1914. It soon became clear that the war would be large.

On 31 October 1914, George applied to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) and was assigned to the 23rd Battalion (Bn). Circa 23 Feb 1915, the 23rd Battalion left for England. Seven days later, he was promoted Corporal. The 23rd Bn was simply an organizational unit for storing men until needed as replacements in other units. In April, he was transferred to the 4th Bn and sent to the front in France. In May he was promoted Sergeant and wrote a will leaving everything to his wife. The official records then show nothing for nine months.

In February 1916, he reported to a field hospital with a tumor on his right trochanter (the attachment point for muscles joining the upper thigh.) He told the doctor that something similar had happened on the other thigh in 1902, but had resolved with no apparent damage. He was treated palliatively and sent back to the front.

In early 1916, the British Army was trying to tunnel under German lines at St. Eloi, near Ypres, with the intention of blowing up huge explosive charges under the German trenches. The German Army was also tunneling. The result was a series of huge craters and confused fighting among the craters. Incredibly, with the battle still incomplete, it was decided to rotate British troops out and replace them with Canadians, including George's 4th Bn. The fighting then became even more confused because the Canadians could not know which army held which craters, and the devastated land made it difficult to communicate via runners.

On 13 April George was taken to hospital in Boulogne for "shell shock". He told the doctor that he had twice been blown out of the trenches by artillery shells falling nearby. In each case, he had been buried in dirt and debris and his comrades had dug him out. His symptoms included generalized weakness, tremors, vomiting, sluggish pupil reaction, and lack of knee reflexes.

George progressed through a series of hospitals and convalescent camps until being admitted to the Admiral Moore Barracks Hospital in Shorncliffe, Kent, England on 4 June 1916 with a diagnosis of "neurasthenia". After treatment, on 29 August 1916, he was discharged to the Canadian Casualty Assembly Centre (CCAC) and sent back to Canada to a convalescent home in Quebec. In all, he spent 9 months in convalescent homes in England and Canada. The address on his final pay voucher was Thetford Mines. Although George had been discharged as "unfit for duty" and granted a short-term disability, no long-term disability was recognized.

Eleanor and the children had gone back to England when George was sent to Europe. In October 1916, they returned.

Second Enlistment

Perhaps seized by patriotism, or more likely, because he needed the money, on 18 Feb 1918, George enlisted in the Canadian Military Police Corp (4th Detachment, Canadian Garrison Regiment), noting that he had previously been discharged due to a "concussion". He was promoted Lance Corporal and then Sergeant in April 1919.

Upon war's end, he was discharged from the Canadian forces for reason of "demobilization" on 14 November 1919. He was awarded three decorations recognizing his participation in World War I--the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal--as well as the War Service Badge (Class A).

Eleanor was no longer with him. She had died on 19 October 1918, about 35 years old, possibly from the Spanish Influenza Epidemic, which, unlike most flu, attacked the young and healthy. Somewhere between 30 and 50 thousand Canadians (out of 8 million) died of the disease.

At some point, George moved to a suburb of Montreal named Verdun (ironically, the name of one of the greatest battles of World War I). He worked as a freight porter. George died there on 19 November 1934 of pneumonia and heart failure. He is buried in the National Field of Honour cemetery at Pointe-Claire, Quebec. Eleanor is buried at the Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal.

George Christopher Buckingham was the half-brother of Joseph Christopher Lardner, both fathered by James Buckingham. James was the great-great-grandfather of the Lardner sisters.