George died in November 2008 aged 90, spending his last few weeks in hospital. He was in total possession of his mental faculties until the end and his family was told he was a "pleasure to nurse". A polite and intelligent old gentleman, he was patriotic, proud and independent and he loved to read the Daily Telegraph from cover to cover each day even until the last couple of weeks. George was well-loved by family and friends for his invariably cheerful, loyal, positive and stoic character. He will be remembered for being a resolute and stalwart fellow and a real War hero. George served in the Royal Navy during the War and although he was deployed on other ships, he recalled his days aboard the 'Ashanti' (June 1941-July 1943) with most fondness. As the Captain's steward, he had some privileges but at the first sign of action his task was to load ammunition. He was subject to extreme danger due to his ship's role in escorting convoys of merchant vessels to Russia via the Arctic Ocean. The ships suffered enormous bombardment and hundreds of his fellows on other vessels were blown up or drowned in the freezing seas, the recollection of which remained a constant sadness for him. He also sailed in the Mediterranean and, as well as his War medals, was awarded the Atlantic Star and the Africa Star with campaign bars. More recently the Russian people recognised his wartime contribution by awarding him a Commemorative Medal and in 2007 he was finally awarded the Arctic Emblem by the Ministry of Defence. George was a staunch supporter of the RNLI, and a Governor Member.