George Barker is the son of Jessie Tiller, one of John Tiller's Daughters and my Grandfather's Sister. I refer to George as my uncle in other areas of my Tiller Girl pages.

George does a lot to keep alive the Tiller Girl name and John Tiller's Memory. He is very knowledgeable, a very accomplished musician and plays with the Bournemouth Philharmonic Society.

Left to right Kim Tiller, George Barker, Andrew Tiller, Stephanie Tiller, Bernard Tiller

George Frederick Barker. was born 14 July 1918 “Bastille Day”, (“Quatorze Juillet”, in France) in Prestbury, Cheshire. Initially an RAF fitter-rigger, then engineer officer and later civilian engineer (B.Sc.,MI.MechE.)

George started to play violin in 1930 but took up the viola in 1932. He only went to school violin class for about two years but played in the school string orchestra. He took took no music exam's.

In 1934 he took up the trombone and the sax, then clarinet in 1935 and dropped the violin and viola in the 1940’s for many years. Eventually he returned to the viola in the 1960’s, but now only owns two violas and 5 assorted tin whistles.

Both of George's parents played piano, his Aunt and a Great-uncle were particularly good violinists and a Grandfather was involved in writing music and scripts for revues. His Son is a good guitarist, and two Grandsons and a Granddaughter are making excellent progress on piano and violin.

George lived in Prestbury for 18 months, Whitley Bay and (in the RAF) Halton, Catterick, France (1939/40) West Malling, Evanton, Wigtown, Bishopscourt, Yeovilton, Little Rissington, Edinburgh until 1946, London until 1949, Teesside and North Yorkshire until 1980, then after short spells in Cadnam and Southampton to Ringwood, where he now lives now. Unfortunately Georges wife Mavis was in a nursing home for some years with advanced Alzheimer’s disease, she died this year 4th June 2006.

RAF As a corporal fitter in the 1930's on the left.

In January 1934, George joined the RAF as an aircraft apprentice at Halton. In 1937 he was posted to 26 Squadron at Catterick, it was then an army cooperation squadron so he went to France in October 1939 with the BEF (British Expeditionary Force), he left in haste in May 1940, luckily intact!

George's Lysanders landed at Lymne, after launching an attack on the enemy tanks with their .303 artillery and 8 little anti-personnel bombs. When George as part of the ground crew arrived he found they were like pepper pots with bullet holes all over them! This kept him and the rest of the ground crew busy for weeks! The Squadron then moved to West Malling after a few weeks at Lymne.

He was later posted to various stations including Fleet Air Arm at Yeovilton, and did an HNC at Heriot Watt College in Edinburgh prior to being promoted to Engineer Officer (for N.C.O's under 25). He left the RAF in 1946 and started B.Sc. course in UCL. He joined ICI at Billingham and Wilton in 1949. With ICI he maintained and designed chemical and petrochemical plants until retirement in 1979. He then moved south for better climate and bought a flat in Spain for the winters, which he kept for about 7 years.

George used to play with what is now Poole Chamber Orchestra but moved to the Bournemouth Philharmonic a few years ago. He is now the solo viola, secretary and webmaster of BAPS, also playing in string quartets on viola.

While on holiday in Den Haag Holland, George played 2nd viola with a string quintet organised by an old Dutch violist engineer colleague.

George with Den Haag string quintet

George does some voluntary work tutoring people in using computers in the UK On-line Centre in Lyndhurst Library on Thursdays, which is operated by Age Concern Hampshire of which he is a member. Although admitting to not being an expert, just one step ahead of the tutored he is being a bit modest as he now looks after a number of web sites and gives me constructive help with my own site.

George says he is restudying (not very rapidly) Latin in the Cambridge On-line project. He has joined “Carers Together” based in Romsey. He is also involved with an on line “club” called “Click” who send a newsletter about happenings to other members at least monthly. This gives housebound people a feeling of not being alone.

George has to be the most active person of his years that I have ever known. He has been up aloft in the annual balloon fiesta in Albequerque, where his Daughter Liz Keefe is a Professor (in the University of New Mexico) he has four children his eldest son is now drawing his O.A.P, nine Grandchildren and eight Great-grandchildren so far.

Ballooning George with Avril owner of the Cloud Hotel and Ex-Tiller Girl

George at John Tiller's Grave 2006

George has been instrumental in the restoration of John Tiller's grave along with his sister Mary putting a lot of their own money into the project.

"The monument is now in better state than ever with modern methods of lead letter insertion and glass pebbles which maintain their colour, instead of marble chips which discolour quickly." See the Tiller Girls pages for information. Thanks to George and the Brookwood society the grave is now a lasting monument to John Tiller

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