Even though he was underage by a year George decided to join the Royal Navy and was sent to Portsmouth to train in early 1917.  He was attached to the S.S. Isleworth and in a letter sent to his father, Leonard Cockerill of 4, West Parade the Captain of the Isleworth explains George’s death in Bilbao;

          “Yesterday at 7.30 in the morning as we were preparing for sea the lad fell down one of the holds.  The Chief Mate and myself immediately went to his aid.  We found him unconscious, with a serious injury to the back of his head.  The Doctor said it was a bad case, and that he would need to go to hospital but the lad passed away before we could reach it (this was 9.30am).  He could have felt no pain, as he was unconscious from the time of his fall to his death…”