Lives of the First World War

George Samuel Sewell GM and bar (26 September 1897 – 5 April 1969) was one of the first recipients of the George Medal (GM) and was the first civilian to be awarded a bar to the GM. Sewell was born on 26 September 1897 in Sunderland, England, and during the First World War joined the Durham Light Infantry. However, as he was underage when he enlisted, he was discharged and instead trained as a marine engineer.[2] After a period in the Merchant Navy, Sewell joined Shell-Mex, and by the outbreak of the Second World War worked at the Shell-Mex plant at Saltend, east of Hull on the Humber estuary. As well as his engineering duties, he also managed the works fire brigade.