HALE, George Ernest

1861 - 1933

George Ernest Hale was born at Eastbourne, Sussex on 13 June 1861, son of Revd George Willes Hale, (1832-15 September 1900) and his wife Eliza Jane née Edwards (1829-23 January 1882), who married at Brighton in 1861. Young George was educated at Cheltenham College 1874-1875 and at St Mary's Hospital Medical School, graduating in 1884 MRCS and LRCP, Ed. On 31 January 1885, he joined the Army as surgeon in the RAMC, and had a long list of war service, Sudan 1885-1886, with the Frontier Field Force, action at Ginniss (Egyptian medal and Khedive's bronze star); Burma 1887-1891 Pounkhan, Tonhon, and Wuntho expeditions (Indian frontier medal with clasp)(mentioned in dispatches 1892, clasp, and D.S.O. during which time he was also a big game hunter in India. Hale lived at Steartfield, Paignton, Devon before embarking for South Africa with Yeomanry hospital in the Boer Wars 1899-1902, operations in Transvaal, Orange River Colony, and Cape Colony (mentioned in dispatches 1901, Queen's medal with three clasps, and King's medal with two clasps). He married at St Matthias's Church, Richmond, Surrey on 17 December 1902, Kathleen Lucy Wadd (25 August 1874-5 September 1904), daughter of Frederick John Wadd, M.D., Kathleen died in 1904, and he married secondly in Hyderabad, India on 25 March 1908, Lucy Fead Scott (1876-2 December 1936). As a Lieut Col, he retired from the army in 1912 and came to live at Felixstowe, Suffolk but re-enlisted in 1914 and was part of the British Expeditionary Force at the Battle of Loos in 1915. By the end of the First World War he had returned to Felixstowe where he painted marine pictures and was a member of the Ipswich Fine Art Club 1915-1932 exhibiting from Little Croft, Bath Road, Felixstowe in 1923, four watercolours 'A Dangerous Coast', 'Trawlers inside Brixham Breakwater', 'Harwich Harbour' and 'Atlantic Rollers' and two oils 'A Near Shave' and The Winter Gale, South Coast', in 1927 four works, an oil 'HMS Royal Adelaide' and three watercolours 'Storm on the Cornish Coast', 'Newlyn Harbour, Penzance' and 'Entering Newlyn Harbour, Penzance' and was a regular exhibitor. He also exhibited at Colombo; Bombay; the Army Officers' Art Society Exhibition in London and elsewhere. George Ernest Hale died at Littlecroft, Bath Road, Felixstowe on 11 January 1933. He signed his works 'G. E. Hale', with the date beneath. He can be confused with his younger brother Col Charles Henry Hale (born 1863), RAMC, who had a similar career path, but does not seem to have come to reside in Suffolk.

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Works by This Artist