George Maddock Shallard was no stranger to the area when he took up the position of Vicar of Stowupland in 1899, he had been a curate at Stowmarket Church from 1892. Oxford educated his first position had been a curate near Sheffield. He was born in France the son of a ship captain. While in Stowmarket he seems to have taken an active part in the social life of the town. He is reported as participating in a cycling race at a sports day organized by Stowmarket Cycling Club and he sang along with his family at a concert for the Band of Hope. He was also a member of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History so a man of wide interests it would seem. 1897 he left Stowmarket to become curate-in-charge at St. Peters Bury St. Edmunds for a couple of years where he seems to have been highly thought of as he was given a good send off when he left to come to Stowupland in July 1899. While here he was president of Stowupland Football Club.

On leaving the parish in 1911 his next post took him back to France where he was a chaplain in Rouen, he was there at the outbreak of war in 1914. He sent his family back to England, but it seems likely that he remained in France throughout the war. In 1919 he returned to Suffolk as vicar of the parish of Burgh near Grundisburgh where he remained until his retirement in 1947, dying in 1949.

George and Connie Shallard at the vicarage 1911

Reverend Shallard 2nd left at the dedication of Burgh war memorial 1919