Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the only son of George Aked a Solicitors Clerk, born 1861 in Nottingham and his wife Sarah born in 1861 in Nottingham, and residing at Mapperly Park Nottingham. Sarah was the daughter of Samuel Wilkins. George had a sister Alice T., born 1899 in Nottingham, in 1901 the family home was at 6, Beeston Road, Nottingham. George was born on the 19th April 1895 and was educated at Nottingham High School where he served in the O.T.C. for two and a half years and was one of the High School Contingent reviewed by the King at Windsor in 1911. He received an appointment in the Nottingham and Notts. Bank at Shepshed near Loughborough in 1911, and on the 26th October 1912 when a Company of the 5th Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment was formed at Shepshed, he was given a commission, being promoted to Lieutenant on the 30th August 1914. He was the only resident officer at Shepshed and had sole charge of the training of the Company. At the outbreak of war the Battalion was in camp and after various duties in England, including night guard near Enfield, they embarked for France in February 1915, and were immediately sent to the front, George was killed in action at Le Bizet. Lieutenant Colonel Jones in command wrote:- "We have lost in him an officer of much promise. He had developed very rapidly since he joined us. He was extraordinarily conscientious in his work, and everything his duty called him to do he did faithfully, thoroughly and well." He is buried near Armentieres. On Friday March 12th 1915 The Melton Mowbray Times & Vale of Belvoir Gazette published the following article under the heading. LOCAL TERRITORIAL CASUALTY. – Apparently the Leicestershire Territorial’s, who recently departed from England, have already gone into action, as it was officially announced yesterday that Lieut. G. Aked, of the 5th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment, had been killed. The War Diary for the 5th March 1915 records. ARMENTIERES. At 2.00am barn occupied by 2 platoons A Coy shelled by enemy. Two incendiary shells fell on extension of building damaging the brickwork only. At 9.00am the barn again shelled. No damage except to building. 1 officer and 12 men from B and D Coy’s to HQ’s 12th Brigade for instruction in grenade throwing. Remainder of B Coy to third line trenches for digging instruction. At 1.00pm D Coy paraded and marched via LE BIZET to third line trenches where they received instructions in hand digging and revetting. D Coy left half, heavily shelled by the enemy. At 5.15pm A and C Coy’s paraded and marched to first line trenches. A Coy attached to the KING’S OWN SCOTTISH BORDERERS. C Coy to the ESSEX REGT for instruction in trench routine. B Coy relieved D Coy in third line trenches. On the 6th March 1915 at 10.30am a report was received from the ESSEX REGT orderly room of two casualties, 1 officer and 1 man killed in C Coy. An account of George’s death was given by Captain John David Hills, M.C., Croix de Guerre, The Battalion were in the locality of Le Bizet and undergoing four days of instruction in trench warfare in preparation for active duty, each platoon spent 24 hours in the line with a platoon of either the Essex Regiment, the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment or the Lancashire Fusiliers who were holding the sector from Ploegsteert to Le Touquet Station. It was a quiet sector except for rifle fire at night, and it was very bad luck that during our first few hours in trenches we lost Lieutenant G. Aked, who was killed by a stray bullet in the front line.

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Photograph of George Aked was submitted by C. Berry 2015.

The following extracts were provided by Andy Murby in 2017:

Article in the Coalville Times, 12/03/1915.

SHEPSHED

News has been received that Lieutenant George Aked, of the 5th Leicesters, died on the 5th inst. Deceased was 19 years of age, and was the son of Mr George Aked of Nottingham. He was a clerk in the Shepshed branch of the Nottingham and Notts Bank, and in the Shepshed Territorial Co. when war broke out.

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Article in the Coalville Times, 19/03/1915.

SHEPSHED OFFICER KILLED

THE LATE LIEUTENANT AKED

Lieutenant George Aked, of the 5th Batt. Leicestershire Regiment, whose death at the front we announced in our issue, was the only son of Mr and Mrs G. Aked, of Tavistock Drive, Mapperley Park, Nottingham. He was educated at the Nottingham High School, and for some two and a half years served in the Officer’s Training Corps. On the raising of a new company at Shepshed (where he held an appointment at the Nottingham and Notts Bank), he was gazetted second lieutenant on the 19th November, 1912, and posted to the new company, which he in part raised, and as the only resident officer trained. He was promoted lieutenant in August last.

Landing in France in the 25th ulto., he entered the first line of trenches, and was killed on the 5th inst. He was in his 20th year.