George Besford (1893–1966)
George Besford was born in Amble, Northumberland. He lost his leg in the Battle of the Somme, and later worked in the lamp cabin at Woodhorn Colliery, Ashington.
Gateshead
Gateshead stands on the south bank of the River Tyne, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, and was historically part of County Durham.
Coal was mined there from at least 1344, and the town later made iron, locomotives and wire rope.
George Bestford (1897–1968)
George Bestford was born at Bensham, Gateshead. He served in the First World War, and later moved to Pretoria where he joined the South African Police.
Emily Maud Carter (1893–1970)
Emily Maud Carter was born in Highgate, London, and married George Besford in 1920 at Gateshead Registry Office. They had one child, Henry, in 1921.
Catherine (Kate) Besford (later Gordon)
Catherine Besford worked as a general servant in a household in Bedlington. In 1903 she married Robert Gordon, a coal miner, at Gateshead Register Office.