George Cholmley was born on 1 September 1882, the son of Alfred and Anne Cholmley (née Simpson) of Place Newton, Rillington, Yorkshire.

He joined the Royal Navy as a Cadet on 15 May 1897 and was appointed to the battleship HMS BARFLEUR on the China Station on 15 September 1898.  As a Sub Lieutenant he was appointed to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS LATONA at Portsmouth ‘for Submarines’ then to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS THAMES in 1903. He was promoted Lieutenant on 31 March 1904 and re-appointed to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS THAMES ‘for Command of Submarines’ but no specific submarine was noted.

After a period in the cruiser HMS BEDFORD from 1907 to 1909 he was appointed to command HMS C27 and two years later he took command of HMS D7.

George Cholmley was promoted to Lieutenant Commander in 1912 and appointed to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS ALECTO following which, in 1914, he took command of HMS E3, which was sent to its war station at Harwich just prior to the outbreak of WWI.

E3 was torpedoed and sunk by the German U-Boat U27 on 18 October 1914. Although several men were seen in the water after the sinking there were no survivors.

George Cholmley was married to Mrs Violet P M Cholmley of Thorpe Bassett, Rillington, Yorkshire.  He is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Panel 1.