Killed in action aged 31
Buried at Ramscappelle Road Military Cemetery, Belgium. Plot VI A 1

George Everard was born in Buckinghamshire to Henry Walter Hope of Luffness and Lady Mary Catherine Constance Primrose, sister of the 5th Earl of Roseberry.

He was educated at Eton (in Mr A M Goodhart’s and Mr A C Benson’s houses) and came up to Christ Church in 1905. He got a Rowing Blue in 1907 and was in the College boat which won the Grand Challenge Cup in 1908.

After coming down, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards on 15 September 1909, and promoted Lieutenant on 9 July 1910.

On 8 April 1911 he married Margaret Cockton, they had two children; Wilhelmine Mary Margaret who became a nun and Archibald John George of Luffness.

Mentioned in Dispatches three times during the war. London Gazette issue 17 February 1915, page 1658; serving as a Staff Officer London Gazette issue 16 June 1916, page 5920, and London Gazette 15 May 1917 page 4748.

Whilst in the Grenadier Guards George served with the 1st Battalion and went to France with them as Battalion Signalling Officer. He embarked with the battalion at Southampton on 4th October 1914 in SS “Armenian”, landing at Zeebrugge at 6am on 7 October.

He was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery at the Battle at Kruseik on 24 October 1914:
Lieutenant G E Hope, the Signals Officer, turned back on his own initiative to warn the King’s Company and even got some of the First Division to come to its assistance. At about 4pm the King’s Company fought their way back through the village taking heavy casualties, especially from machine-guns in the windows. A message that the Company was about to retire was never received by a platoon of 3 Company or an isolated King’s Company platoon, which were both overwhelmed. Only half of 2 Company’s platoon got away. On the roll being called that evening the strength of the Battalion was 17 officers and 650 other ranks.

Memorial stone to George Everard Hope MCBy 29 October George is listed as wounded and by that time the battalion had lost around 900 of the 1,000 men they had started with. He was promoted to the rank of Acting Lieutenant-Colonel when he was appointed as Commanding Officer of 1/8th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers on 16 June 1917. The Battalion was attached to 126 Brigade, 42nd Division, it was positioned north of Ypres, and took part in the Battle of Passchendaele where he was missing, presumed killed, on 10 October 1917.

The probate record reads: “HOPE George Everard of Luffness East Lothian and of Rankeillour and Craighall Fifeshire died 10 October 1917 on active service. Confirmation of the right honourable James Richard Earl Stanhope DSO MC sir John Augustus Hope baronet and Herbert James Hope barrister at law. Sealed London 31 March 1920”.

The stone shown in the photograph, commemorates George Everard Hope MC who is described as a Captain in the Grenadier Guards (on the CWGC site as a Lt Col). Severely wounded November 1914. Missing near Nieuport and presumed killed October 1917. Found and buried at Ramscappelle Road Cemetery.