Ernest George Sampson was born on 19 January 1903 at 79 Dover Road, Northfleet, Kent, the son of Frederick John Sampson (1875-1905) and Agnes May Sampson née Sutton (1880-1960). His birth was registered in the 1st quarter of 1903 in the Strood Registration District, Kent.
In 1905 the family left England to live in Saskatchewan, Canada. His father died, not long after their arrival, in 1905 and he and his mother returned to England in a 2nd class cabin aboard the RMS Empress of Ireland of the Canadian Pacific Railway Line, having departed from Quebec, Canada and arriving in Liverpool, Lancashire (now the Metropolitan County of Merseyside), on 12 June 1909.
When his widowed mother completed her census return form on 2 April 1911, he was shown as aged 8 years and living in a five roomed property at 31 Havelock Road, Gravesend, Kent, with his mother, who described herself as aged 30 years and a boarding house keeper and his widowed maternal grandmother, Agnes Millicent Sutton, aged 57 years, together with a male boarder.
In September 1919 he was appointed as an assistant postman in London.
When the census return form that was completed by his widowed maternal grandmother on 19 June 1921, he was shown as aged 18 years, 5 months and a telegraph messenger employed by the General Post Office in Gravesend. He was living in a five roomed property at 33/34 New Road, Gravesend, with his widowed mother, aged 41 years, 1 month, who was a housekeeper employed by a Mr Morgan, a jeweller, at Surrey Villa, St James's Road, Gravesend, together with his grandmother, aged 68 years, 1 month, who described herself as a caretaker for the same Mr Morgan.
In July 1922 he was promoted to postman in Gravesend and in May 1929 he became a sorter in the London Postal Service West.
On 25 August 1930 he married Marjorie Winifred Pinfold in the Parish Church of Christ's Church, Milton, Gravesend, where in the marriage register he is shown as aged 27 years, a bachelor and a civil servant living at 83 Parrock Street, Gravesend, the son of Frederick Sampson, deceased, who had been a civil servant in Canada, whilst his wife was described as aged 27 years and a spinster who resided at 11 Peter Street, Gravesend, the daughter of Henry Pinfold, deceased, who had been a ship's carpenter. They had three sons: Michael Frederick Sampson (1932-2008); Edward W Sampson (1936-2024) and Jeffrey John Sampson (1939-2012).
He joined the 7th Battalion, The Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment, service number 2203354, and died on war service on 24 May 1940, aged 37 years. His body was buried in of the St Quentin Northern Communal Cemetery, 110 bis Rue Georges Pompidou, 02100 Saint-Quentin, France.
Probate records show that his home address had been 57 Valley Drive, Gravesend and when probate was granted on 7 March 1942 his effects totalled £935-18s-8d. Post Office gratuity records show that he had been a sorter at their London Western District Office and on 7 April 1942 he was awarded a £273-15s-3d gratuity. On 5 December 1949 he was posthumously awarded the 1939-1945 Star and the War Medal 1939-1945.
He is shown as 'SAMPSON E.G.' on the Western Postal District war memorial in Mount Pleasant, London, WC1. He is also commemorated on the and on .
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
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