Born and raised in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, George Ironside grew up watching his father, John Wilson Ironside, who was also a blacksmith. Throughout the early 1900s George Ironside and his wife lived in South Africa where they gave birth to their two children. Chilliwack was growing at a steady pace and many buildings and organizations were also being established in this time period such as: Chilliwack General Hospital (1911), City Hall (1912), Chilliwack High School (1912), and Princess Avenue Drill Hall (1913).