George, as he was known to all in the Irish Hussars, was born in Burma.

LCpl GWL Richardson
LCpl GWL Richardson

He joined the Army in 1955, enlisting as a Boy Soldier at Canterbury, he was badged to the 4th Hussars in April 1958 and then became a Queen’s Royal Irish Hussar later in that same year when the 4th and 8th Hussars were amalgamated.

He saw service in Germany (Hohne), Tidworth, Aden, the Persian Gulf, Malaya and Borneo, finally returning to the UK in early 1964 to be discharged to the Reserve, he remained on the reserve until 1967.

He was awarded the GSM with clasp ‘Brunei’.

After leaving the Army George worked for the Dover Harbour Board and often greeted friends from the Regiment who were travelling through the Port to and from Germany, He finished his working life with Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.

Those who knew him in the Regiment will always remember George with affection, as indeed will those in Kent, where everyone who knew or worked with him called him Bill.

George/Bill was a really happy person who loved nothing better than to be playing music on his guitar, his great love was country music and he played with local country groups.

He was also a good footballer and in both, his Army and civilian days graced the wing of many a team. Another of his loves was working with his hands carving in different mediums, and once carved a woman from a bar of industrial soap and called her Soapy Loren.

His greatest happiness was his family, his wife Sheila, daughters, Samantha and Amanda, son-in-law Sean and like all granddads, he doted on his grandchildren George, Thomas, Emma and Bryoni.

You can see running through this obituary that George/Bill was a happy smiling asset to any group he was in, this never more so than in the Army, so many of us are the better for meeting him.

George was also a founder member of Southern Counties (Balaklava) Troop attending the annual dinners in Eastbourne until sadly he was too ill to do so.

George passed away on 28 December 2007 after a valiant struggle against illness.

Related topics

  1. A short history of The 4th Hussars
  2. A short history of The Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars
  3. Aden and The Persian Gulf 1961
  4. Malaya and Borneo 1962-64