George Henry Stevenson was born in Eckington on the 8th of March 1897.

His parents were James and Elizabeth Mathilda Stevenson [formerly Marvin]. He had several siblings: Alfred [his elder brother], William, Lucy-Ann, Emma and Arthur [his younger siblings]. His three youngest siblings had all been born in Bolsover.

James, his father, was born in Mosborough and his mother hailed from Molton in Lincolnshire. His grandmother, Annie, lived next door to the family in Gosber Street in Eckington in 1901. Annie was born in Ireland and census records show there was a large Irish population in Gosber Street at the turn of the century. Many had emigrated during the Great Famine of 1879.

Prior to enlisting as a stoker in the Royal Navy, George had worked as a pony driver in a coal mine. His father James and brother Alfred also worked as coal miners.

At the time of his signing up to the Royal Navy, George was living on Station Road next door to another former miner and stoker, Ernest Chapman. Their service numbers were consecutive and they both signed up on the 6th of February 1917. It seems likely that they signed up together. One of George’s photographs has the caption ‘Nobby Chapman’ on the back, this was possibly Ernest and it seems very likely that they were friends.

Unfortunately, George and Ernest were not posted to the same ships after joining the Royal Navy as stokers. George was sent to the Victory firstly and spent time on the Dreadnought, the Crescent and the Lucia. In both 1917 and 1918 George was awarded a Chevron. He also won a naval prize fund in 1921, 1922 and 1923.

In 1920, whilst he was still a stoker, George married Alice Cupit. He wouldn’t decommission from the Royal Navy for another 3 years.

After leaving the Royal Navy in 1923 George moved to Bolsover with his wife and worked in Bolsover Colliery.

He would spend time at the Derbyshire miners' Convalescent Home at Skegness in the late 1960's.

George was 5ft 9 with brown hair and grey eyes. He had a scar on his right eyebrow and in the centre of his back. In 1917 he was also described as walking with a limp after a hip operation which left one leg shorter than the other.

George’s wife Alice died in 1978 and George himself died in 1981 of coal workers pneumoconiosis. Members of his family still live around Chesterfield.