Antrobus, George Pollock, son of Edward Gream Antrobus, C.M.G., of Westminster, Chief Accountant, office of the Crown Agent for the Colonies, by Agnes Minnie, eldest daughter of James Edward Pollock, M. D., F.R.C.P., of London; b. Oct. 12, 1892; adm. Sept. 22, 1904 (H); Exhibitioner 1905; K.S. (non-resident) 1906; elected to an exhibition at Ch. Ch. Oxon. July 1911, matric. Michaelmas 1911; B.A. 1914; appointed a temp. clerk in the Foreign Office Sept. 20, 1915; a King's Messenger in the Foreign Office Oct. 4, 1919; O.B.E. March 30, 1920; killed in an air raid on London Nov. 1940.
George Pollock Antrobus was born at West Kensington, London on the 12th of October 1892 the only son of Edward Greason Antrobus CMG, an Accountant Officer of the Crown Agents of the Colonies, and Agnes Minnie (nee Pollock) Antrobus of 91, George Square, Westminster, later of 15, York Road, Leamington Spa in Warwickshire. He was christened at St Andrew’s Church, Kensington on the 14th of November 1982.
He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Homeboarders from the 22nd of September 1904 to July 1911 and was awarded an Exhibition in 1905. He was a non resident King’s Scholar from 1906 and was a member of the Debating Society in 1910 and 1911. He matriculated for Christ Church, Oxford in 1911 where he read History and achieved a Second Class BA in 1914. He was appointed as a temporary clerk at the Foreign Office on the 20th of September 1915 and was appointed as a King’s Messenger on the 4th of October 1919. He was awarded the OBE for - “services in Parliamentary Department, Foreign Office” which was announced by St James’s Palace on the 30th of March 1920.
He wrote the book, “King’s Messenger 1918-1940: Memoirs of a Silver Greyhound”, which was published by H, Jenkins in 1941. He retired from the civil service and went to live with his father at 15, York Road, Leamington Spa.
On the night of the 13th/14th of November 1940, the Luftwaffe launched a major attack on the city of Coventry, dispatching some 515 bombers which dropped 500 tons of high explosive bombs, 30,000 incendiaries and 50 landmines on the city. During the raid, one enemy aircraft passed over Leamington Spa which dropped a stick of seven bombs across the town. That night Edward Antrobus had been attending a party at the home of Mr and Mrs Millett at 32, Portland Place and had just returned home, on what was his 80th birthday, when a single high explosive bomb hit the house at 10.58pm, killing him and his son George. There were four others killed in the town that night.
Their funerals took place at All Saints Church, Leamington Spa
He is commemorated on the Leamington Memorial to civilians lost in air raids.
He is buried at Leamington Cemetery, Brunswick Street.
