George Templeton was born in Belfast in County Antrim on 11 March 1906, the son of Charles and Elisabeth Templeton. He joined the Royal Navy as a Stoker Second Class on 25 June 1924. After training, he was drafted to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS ALECTO on 14 November 1924.

George Templeton joined submarines with a draft to HMS DOLPHIN for the Submarine Course on 9 February 1927. His first submarine was HMS L54 which he joined on 5 July 1927. This was followed by a draft to HMS L52 on 5 May 1929 but only for ten days, as he then joined HMS L23 on 15 May 1929. On 9 August 1932 he joined the Submarine Depot Ship HMS LUCIA. George Templeton was next sent to the Mediterranean to join the Submarine Depot Ship HMS CYCLOPS for the Spare Crew on 26 September 1934 and then HMS REGULUS on 1 January 1935. REGULUS was then sent to join the Fourth Submarine Flotilla based at Hong Kong on 29 April 1935. He transferred to HMS PARTHIAN on 1 July 1936.

He returned home to HMS DOLPHIN on 19 October 1936 and served there until 14 January 1938, when he joined HMS PORPOISE in which he served until 14 December 1939. On 16 January 1940 he was drafted to HMS TARPON standing by while completing at the Scott’s Shipyard in Greenock. TARPON left for a patrol around Norway on 6 April 1940. On 10 April 1940, TARPON encountered the German ‘Q-ship’ Schiff 40, west of Jutland, Denmark. TARPON attacked the German vessel with two torpedoes both of which missed. It was assumed that TARPON was sunk with all hands by depth charges in a counterattack by Schiff 40. TARPON was reported overdue on 22 April 1940 when she failed to arrive as expected.

George Templeton was the husband of Phyllis Rose Templeton of Wandsworth, London, and he is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial on Panel 41 Column 3.