George Combes was born and raised in Southampton. He married Emma Jane "Imogene" Taylor on Christmas Day 1900 and the couple would go on to have six children. He signed on to Titanic as a fireman after having previously worked on the Oceanic. 

He survived the disaster, it is unclear which lifeboat he boarded, but it is speculated that it was probably lifeboat 3.  He was never required to give evidence at either inquiry and returned to England on the Lapland to continue his career at sea. 

Sadly, his health took a rapid decline in the years that followed, he suffered tuberculosis and died in August 1916.