The Pallett family had started out as cider makers in Buckinghamshire where George was born. He moved in 1911 to Norton Fitzwarren where his father had set up a new concern, Pallet's Cider Company. In 1921 this was reformed as the Taunton Cider Company and George took over as Managing Director on the death of his father Daniel John in 1924. The business was one of the larger ones in the area, though had just 15 employees by 1939. Like his father, George was an active member of civic society, and during the war was Billeting Officer and Emergency Food Officer. He later stood for the council and was also involved with the Village Club. He was reportedly a frequent visitor at Oakhampton Manor.
The Taunton Cider Company continued to grow and by 1949 was the fourth or fifth largest in the country, but 1975 it was the third. It was sold in a management buyout in 1995, with the Norton Fitzwarren factory closing in 1998, as it became too small for the business.
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wiveliscombe Outstation | Observer | 1941 | 20 Jul 1944 |
Managing Director, Taunton Cider Company
On 7 Oct 1913, George enlisted as a Private (1734) in the 12th London Regiment, a Territorial battalion. He went to France on Christmas Eve 1914. He was promoted in time to Sergeant (470169). He was hit in the right thigh with shrapnel on 9 May 1915 during the Battle of Flemsburg Ridge (the Second Battle of Ypres). Having recovered from this and returned to his unit, on the first day of the Somme, 1 Jul 1917, he was shot in the right side of his chest, during the diversionary attack at Gommecourt. He was evacuated back to England on 8 Aug 1916 and this wound would eventually result in his discharge on 3 Oct 1917.
https://cholesbury.com/pdf/htn-201408.pdf
https://www.history.ac.uk/sites/default/files/file-uploads/2019-08/003_…
The Somerset Underground, Tim Wray
Taunton Advertiser
Ancestry.co.uk