A short biography of George Watts (1918-1985) appeared in Valerie Answer, Sheffield’s Traditional Craftsman (1980).  He was the last hand forger of knives in Sheffield.  He was born at Beet Street in back-to-back housing, which had a forge in the yard.  George began working at the forge, under its owner Billy Hunter, when he was aged 12.  He was taught hardening and tempering and began making blades two years later.  When he left school in about 1932, unemployment was rife.  George wanted to be a carpenter, but had to stay at the forge.  He worked for at least 48 hours a week for 7s [35p].  When orders slackened in the mid-1930s, he became an outworker for Henry Innocent at Broad Lane.  In the Register of England & Wales (1939), George was living at Palgrave Crescent, near Southey Green.  He stated his occupation as pocket-blade forger.  He then served seven years in the Army, when he was a mine detector.  One mine exploded, killing George’s mate, and leaving George with shrapnel wounds and shattered nerves.  

After the War, the demand for hand-forged pocket knives declined.  George began surgical instrument forging, but later switched to Bowie knives.  He moved to an old workshop at Broomspring Lane, where Fred James was active.  A grainy film of George working his hand-bellows and forging a blade can be accessed via the Hawley Collection website.   His courtyard forging shop was also featured and photographed in David Morgan Rees, Yorkshire Craftsmen at Work (1981).  He told Valerie Answer that he never wanted to retire and had enjoyed every minute of forging.  When Kelham Island Museum opened in 1982, George occupied a workshop adjacent to Graham Clayton, where he was able to demonstrate traditional hand-forging to museum visitors.   He died on 11 October 1985, aged 67, at Royal Hallamshire Hospital.  His ashes were interred at Crookes Cemetery.