George Tucker was born on 23 August 1897, at Swansea in Glamorganshire, the eldest of three known sons to Charles Tucker, a mason, and Martha Tucker (formerly Thomas). He had two brothers: Byron (1899); and Norman Lloyd (1909).

By 1901 the family had moved to Reynoldston in the Gower, Glamorganshire, where they were living at Frogmore, with the father working as an agricultural labourer.

Ten years later they were living with Martha’s father at Llanrhidian at Reynoldston, with Charles Tucker employed as a colliery labourer above ground. George Tucker remained unmarried, and prior to enrolment in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) he worked as a colliery shunter.

His parents later lived at Rock House in Llanrhidian. [His brother, Byron, also served in the RNVR as an able bodied seaman.]

George Tucker enrolled in the RNVR on 11 September, 1916, as an ordinary seaman, number WZ.3713. He was aged 19 and described as: 5’ 10½” tall; with dark hair; brown eyes; a fresh complexion; and a chest measurement of 35”. He did not join until 31 October, 1916, when he reported to HMS Victory VI at Portsmouth. After training he was posted to the Devonport shore base of HMS Vivid I. He qualified as a seaman gunner, and was posted to HMS President III on 24 March, 1917, which was the accounting base for men serving on Defensively Armed Merchant Ships (DAMS). George Tucker was advanced to able bodied seaman on 30 January, 1918.

George Tucker served as a DAMS gunner aboard the SS Inniscarra, a 1,412-ton steam passenger ship owned by the City of Cork Steam Packet Company.

On 12 May 1918, she was bound from Fishguard to Cork, when 7½ miles off Mine Head on the southern Irish Coast, she was torpedoed by the German submarine, U-86. The vessel sank within a very short time after being torpedoed and some of the ropes attached to one of the boats got entangled and the occupants were thrown into the water.

One of the survivors succeeded in getting into a boat and was taken on board the submarine. Another reached a raft. All on board were lost except the captain, who was injured, the chief engineer and three seamen who were landed at Queenstown. The remaining 37 men who were on board were listed as missing, later believed killed or drowned, including George Tucker. He was aged 20.

Having no known grave, George Tucker is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial in Devon. 

He is also commemorated a tablet of honour within the Ebenezer Chapel at Llanrhidian, as well as on a dedicated heart-shaped memorial plaque in the Ebenezer Chapel at Llanrhidian, which states: IN MEMORY OF/ GEORGE TUCKER RN/ OF THIS PARISH/ WHO WAS OFFICIALLY REPORTED/ "DIED A HERO'S DEATH STANDING BY HIS GUN UNTIL THE LAST"/ WHEN HIS SHIP WAS SUNK BY ENEMY ACTION OFF THE SOUTH COAST/ OF IRELAND DURING THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1918/ BORN 23RD AUGUST 1897/ DIED 12TH MAY 1918/ ERECTED BY THE PARISHIONERS OF LLANRHIDIAN GOWER

George Tucker’s service earned him the British War Medal, 1914-20; and Victory Medal, 1914-19, which were issued to his father.