George Clement Pope

George Clement Pope was the third son of Alfred Pope.  He was born at South Walk House, Dorchester in 1876 and was educated at Weymouth College and then at Charterhouse School for five years.  He matriculated to Exeter College, Oxford, graduating in 1899.

He followed his father and elder brother into the legal profession, and was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court in 1903.  Fancying a change of scene by 1906, he left for South Africa with his younger brother, Charles.  In 1907 he joined the firm of Mulligan and Routledge in Johannesburg.

Now being in a position to marry, he returned to England and married Margaret Emily Langhorne in Buckland St. Mary’s, Somerset before they both returned to South Africa.  However Margaret found the South African climate too trying, so they returned along with two small children in 1911. They tried setting up in British Columbia but again this was unsuccessful so in 1913 Clement took a post at the family firm of Eldridge, Pope and Co., Ltd.

Again, like his father and brothers, Clement was a `citizen soldier’, first serving with the Transvaal Horse Artillery for five years, rising to the rank of Sergeant.  On the outbreak of the Great War his health was not considered strong enough for active service overseas, but threw his energies into the Volunteer movement.  He enrolled in the Dorchester and District Volunteer Training Corps for Home Defence, a body reminiscent of the Armed Associations of the Wars against Napoleon and a forerunner of the Home Guard of the Second World War.

Their uniform was of grey serge, as khaki was prohibited and their badge was that of the three lions passant-gardant of Dorset.  By 1916 their role was recognised by the Government and they were allowed to wear khaki. Clement was made a section commander and took part in night coast watches at White Nose (White Nothe, Ringstead Bay) as well as night guards at the strategically important Whitehead Torpedo Works in Wyke Regis.

Whitehead Torpedo Works, Weymouth

He was a fine shot and excellent with the bayonet, being sent to the outlying villages to train men in bayonet fighting.  He was also a keen fisherman, especially of trout from the River Frome at Wrackleford, and a member of the Cattistock Hunt.

Clement remained on the board of Eldridge, Pope and Co. until his death in 1931.