Roll of Honour (Lancaster - Oglethorpe)

Alexander Stalker Lancaster was born on the 19^th of March 1893 at Middleton Place in Patterdale and baptised a few weeks later at St Patrick’s Church on the 21^st May. He was the eldest son of John William Lancaster, a lead miner at Greenside, and his wife Elizabeth Ann (nee Stalker). They had two other children, John Elliot (1895-1968) and Jonathan Raymond (1898-1973). All three boys would have attended Patterdale School. The family were living at Grisedale Lodge, when, sadly, their father was killed in a rock-fall at the Greenside Mine in April 1901. In February 1905, their mother married Robert Grisdale, a much older man who worked as a Bailiff at Home Farm in Patterdale, who had also lost his spouse. Robert moved into Grisedale Lodge but Elizabeth Ann also died, in July 1907. It is not surprising therefore, that when the April 1911 census was taken, the three boys were living in different places. Alex, by then aged 18 years, was lodging in Penrith and working as a Draper's Apprentice. John, 16 years, was working as a General Farm Worker at Broad Ing Farm in Sockbridge near Penrith. The youngest boy, aged 13 years and now using Raymond as his first name, was still still at school and living with his step-father at Grisedale Lodge. However, less than a year later Robert Grisdale also died.

Alexander Lancaster enlisted in the London Scottish Regiment on the 1^st of September 1914. He joined as a Private but must have shown leadership skills and was given a commission, promoting him to 2^nd Lieutenant on the 13^th of July 1915. Unfortunately, without his service records, we do not know where he served or any actions he was involved in. We do know that he was promoted again to Lieutenant, and, on the 13^th of April 1917, whilst serving with the 2/13^th Bn. of the London Regiment, was transferred, on probation, to the 66^th Punjabis in the Indian Army. His permanent transfer wasn't confirmed until the 20^th of October 1918. Even though the war in Europe ended in November 1918, the British and Indian Army still had to deal with the problems on the North West Frontier, so Alex stayed in the Army, serving initially with the 1^st Gurkha Rifles. On the 8^th of April 1920 he was promoted to Captain with the 10^th Gurkha Rifles. Later that year, British and Indian forces were engaged in occupation duties as Mesopotamia was transformed in to Iraq. Alex was involved in this as his medal card shows that he was awarded the NW Persia Clasp to his Indian General Service Medal.

We know from passenger lists that he made several visits back to England, either on leave or in connection with his duties. On these visits he mostly stayed at Officers Clubs in London, such as the Indian Army Club and the Army and Navy Club, although on one occasion, in January 1922, he gave his address as Gunnislake in Cornwall. In the 1931 Edition of Whitaker's Almanac, Capt. A. S. Lancaster is listed as the acting Vice-Consul in Isfahan, which is in Central Persia (Iran). On the 8^th of April 1934, he was promoted to Major and became an Instructor at the Indian Military Academy in Dehra Dun. On the 1^st of December 1935, Alex was posted to Kabul in Afghanistan, to be Military Attaché with the British Legation - a position he held until 1938 and then again from 1940 to 1948, when he no doubt gathered valuable military intelligence for the Allied Forces during the second world war. Towards the end of his time in Kabul, his rank was described as 'Local Colonel' but when he returned to the British Army prior to his retirement he still held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. The London Gazette made the official announcement that Lt. Col. A. S. Lancaster, C.I.E., O.B.E, retired on the 29^th of August 1949 and granted the honorary rank of Colonel.

Alex never married and, after some time in London (probably at the United Services Club), he retired to the Channel Islands in 1956 where he lived at the Victoria Club in St. Helier. We know of two trips he took in retirement, one to Kenya in 1951 and the other to South Africa in 1958, always travelling first-class! He may also have had some connection with Australia, as a record of Probate is listed for him in the State of Victoria. He died on the 2^nd of October 1967 at the age of of 74 years.

Research Documents:

Census Records London & Indian Gazette Items Military Records Passenger Lists Other Records

John Elliot Lancaster was born on the 23^rd of March 1895 at Middleton Place in Patterdale and baptised a few weeks later at St Patrick’s Church on the 17^th of May. He was the middle son of John William Lancaster, a lead miner at Greenside, and his wife Elizabeth Ann (nee Stalker). They had two other children, Alexander Stalker (1893-1967) and John Elliot (1895-1968). All three boys would have attended Patterdale School. The family were living at Grisedale Lodge, when, sadly, their father was killed in a rock-fall at the Greenside Mine in April 1901. In February 1905, their mother married Robert Grisdale, a much older man who worked as a Bailiff at Home Farm in Patterdale, who had also lost his spouse. Robert moved into Grisedale Lodge but Elizabeth Ann also died, in July 1907. It is not surprising therefore, that when the April 1911 census was taken, the three boys were living in different places. Alex, by then aged 18 years, was lodging in Penrith and working as a Draper's Apprentice. John, 16 years, was working as a General Farm Worker at Broad Ing Farm in Sockbridge near Penrith. The youngest boy, aged 13 years and now using Raymond as his first name, was still still at school and living with his step-father at Grisedale Lodge. However, less than a year later Robert Grisdale also died.

TBC

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Jonathan Raymond Lancaster was born on the 25^th of February 1898 at Middleton Place in Patterdale and baptised a few weeks later at St Patrick’s Church on the 8^th of May. He was the youngest son of John William Lancaster, a lead miner at Greenside, and his wife Elizabeth Ann (nee Stalker). They had two other children, Alexander Stalker (1893-1967) and Jonathan Raymond (1898-1973). All three boys would have attended Patterdale School. The family were living at Grisedale Lodge, when, sadly, their father was killed in a rock-fall at the Greenside Mine in April 1901. In February 1905, their mother married Robert Grisdale, a much older man who worked as a Bailiff at Home Farm in Patterdale, who had also lost his spouse. Robert moved into Grisedale Lodge but Elizabeth Ann also died, in July 1907. It is not surprising therefore, that when the April 1911 census was taken, the three boys were living in different places. Alex, by then aged 18 years, was lodging in Penrith and working as a Draper's Apprentice. John, 16 years, was working as a General Farm Worker at Broad Ing Farm in Sockbridge near Penrith. The youngest boy, aged 13 years and now using Raymond as his first name, was still still at school and living with his step-father at Grisedale Lodge. However, less than a year later Robert Grisdale also died.

TBC

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Census Records

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Ernest William Marr was the second son of Thomas Linton Marr, a lead miner, and his wife Jane (nee Potts) and was baptised at St Patrick's Church on the 3^rd September 1893. In 1901 the family were living at 4 Middle Rake in Glenridding, with his father working as a Lead Ore Smelter at Greenside. Ernest was one of four children, his siblings were; Leonard Stephen (1890-1972), Henrietta Francesca who sadly died in infancy (1898-1898) and Sidney (1900).

After attending Patterdale School Ernest started working at the Greenside Mine, alongside his father and older brother, as a 'Stationary Engine-man below Ground', which meant that he was working one of the winding machines at the mine. By 1911, the family were living at 8 Glenridding in Glenridding.

In 1913 Leonard and Ernest decided to emigrate to America. On the 10^th May they boarded the SS Mauretania in Liverpool for the 6 day crossing to New York. Upon their arrival at Ellis Island on the 16^th May, they gave their final destination as Cuba City, Wisconsin, an area with several lead mines and just a few miles from Benton where their school-friends James Bowman and Joseph Lawrence Graham would head for in 1914. It is quite likely that Leonard and Ernest would have been there when Jim and Joe arrived. Ernest returned to Patterdale at some point, probably in 1916, as we have found him, along with his younger brother Sidney, on the passenger list of the SS St Paul, which departed Liverpool on the 30^th December 1916 and arrived at Ellis Island, New York on the 9^th January 1917.

On 6^th April 1917, the USA declared war on Germany and officially entered World War I. Six weeks later, the Selective Service Act was passed, which authorized the President to increase the military establishment of the United States. As a result, every male living within the United States, between the ages of 18 and 45, was required to register for the draft. Ernest completed his Draft Registration Card on the 5^th June 1917, in which he gave his address as Benton, Wisconsin, and his occupation as an Assay Laboratory Assistant with A H Brainerd in Benton. Only a small percentage of the men who registered were actually called up for military service. However, thanks to a form completed by his widow in 1954, for a veterans headstone, we know that he was 'called up' on the 30^th August 1918 and assigned to 12^th Company, 1^st Provisional Training Regiment, 161^st Depot Brigade. This Brigade was based at Camp Grant in Rockford, Illinois, for the purpose of training infantry. In May 1918, in recognition of the large number of non-citizens on active duty, Congress amended the nation’s naturalisation laws to allow alien soldiers to fast-track the citizenship process and so Ernest was granted US Citizenship on the 26^th September 1918. Ernest would only have been in training for 10 weeks when the war ended on the 11^th November 1918, so it seems very unlikely that he served overseas or awarded any medals. He was honourably discharged on the 17^th January 1919. The Glenridding Roll of Honour lists him as a Lance Corporal but the veterans gravestone form confirms that he remained a Private.

After he was discharged, it appears that he joined his brother Leonard in Detroit. However, on the 1^st April 1919 Ernest applied for a US Passport so that could return to England temporarily to 'help sick parents', who had moved to Barrow in Furness when the war began, so that Thomas could work at the Vickers Armaments Factory. Both he and Sidney sailed from Quebec on board the SS Melita arriving in Liverpool on the 31^st July 1919. They stayed in England for almost a year before the whole family, parents Thomas and Jane, Ernest and Sidney sailed back to America on board the SS Aquitania, arriving at Ellis Island in New York on the 24^th July 1920. They headed to Detroit to stay with Leonard and Naomi for a time. Ernest and his father then got employment, alongside Leonard, working for the Ford Motor Company in Detroit. Sadly, his father Thomas died in Detroit on the 28^th December 1923 - he is remembered on the gravestone of Ann Marr, Thomas's mother, in St Patrick's Churchyard.

In 1930 Ernest was still working at a car plant in Detroit, was married to Mary P (who was born in Michigan to Swedish parents) and had a young daughter, Gladys. When the 1940 census was taken, they had a second daughter named Rubie. In April 1942, like his brothers Leonard and Sidney, Ernest was required to fill in a WW2 Draft Registration card. From this we know that he was living at 1017 Adeline Street, Detroit, Michigan and working for the Detroit Gear and Machine Company in Wayne, Michigan.

Ernest died on the 25^th March 1954, and, as mentioned earlier, his widow Mary, still living at 1017 Adeline Drive, applied for Ernest to have a US Veterans Gravestone. This was approved and marks his grave at the Roseland Park Cemetery, Berkley, Oakland County in Michigan. We believe his wife Mary died on the 4^th January 1985 at the age of 84, whilst still living in Detroit.

Research Documents:

Census Records Baptism Register (Entry 506) Atlantic Crossings (1913 to 1920) US WW1 Draft Registration Card - 5 Jun 1917

US Passport Application - 11 Apr 1919 US WW2 Draft Registration Card - 27 Apr 1942 Application for a Veterans Gravestone - 12 May 1954

Leonard Stephen Marr was the eldest son of Thomas Linton Marr, a lead miner, and his wife Jane (nee Potts). In 1891, the family were living at Blowick, alongside the Slee family. By 1901 they had moved to 4 Middle Rake in Glenridding, with his father now working as a Lead Ore Smelter at Greenside. Leonard was one of four children, his siblings were;

Ernest William (1893), Henrietta Francesca who sadly died in infancy (1898-1898) and Sidney (1900).

After attending Patterdale School Leonard started working alongside his father at Greenside Mine and by 1911 his younger brother Ernest was also working there as a 'Stationary Engine-man below Ground', which meant that he was working one of the winding machines at the mine. At this point the family were living at 'Number 8 Glenridding'.

In 1913 Leonard and Ernest decided to emigrate to America. On the 10^th May they boarded the SS Mauretania in Liverpool for the 6 day crossing to New York. Upon their arrival at Ellis Island on the 16^th May, they gave their final destination as Cuba City, Wisconsin, an area with several lead mines and just a few miles from Benton where their school-friends James Bowman and Joseph Lawrence Graham would head for in 1914. It is quite likely that Leonard and Ernest would have been there when Jim and Joe arrived. However, Leonard had moved to Idaho sometime before 1917.

On 6^th April 1917, the USA declared war on Germany and officially entered World War I. Six weeks later, the Selective Service Act was passed, which authorized the President to increase the military establishment of the United States. As a result, every male living within the United States, between the ages of 18 and 45, was required to register for the draft. Leonard completed his Draft Registration Card on the 5^th June 1917, in which he gave his address as Mullan, Idaho, and his occupation as a Mine Foreman with the Reindeer Queen Mining Company. Only a small percentage of the men who registered were actually called up for military service. Less than a month later, in July 1917, Leonard married a 33 year old divorcee called Naomi Esther Crawford. Apart from the Glenridding Roll of Honour, where he is listed as a Corporal but with no regiment name, we have not found any records of his war time service. Leonard was granted US citizenship in November 1918.

When the 1920 US Census was taken, he and Naomi were living in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, where Leonard was working as a foreman in the auto-mobile manufacturing industry. In July 1920, Leonard's parents and youngest brother Sidney crossed the Atlantic on board the SS Aquitania, stating their destination as Detroit. Travelling with them, but on a different manifest (as he had been granted citizenship in Sep 1918) was brother Ernest who gave Leonard's address in Detroit as his destination.

Ten years later, in 1930, Leonard and Naomi had moved to Livonia, a suburb of Detroit with Leonard still working as a foreman. The only other information we have for them at this time is sadly their divorce papers, filed on the 25^th March 1935, by Leonard on the grounds of desertion. Naomi had contested the claim but the divorce was granted on 2^nd April 1937. The divorce papers also confirm that Leonard and Naomi had no children.

The 1940 Census reveals that Leonard (who gave his age as 45 when he was actually 50) had re-married, as it shows a wife, Mary, aged 26 and a daughter, Joannie, aged 1 year. During WW2, Leonard was again required to Register for the Draft, which he did on the 27^th April 1942, correctly stating his age as 52 years. These records, show that they were living at 18685 Murray Hill, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, and that he was working at the Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan. Leonard died on the 17^th December 1972 aged 82, in Westland, Wayne County, Michigan and Mary in February 1991 aged 77.

Research Documents:

Census Records Passenger Manifest SS Mauretania dep Liverpool 10 May 1913

US WW1 Draft Registration Card - 5 Jun 1917 Leonard and Naomi Marriage Licence - 3 Jul 1917

Leonard and Naomi Divorce - 2 Apr 1937 US WW2 Draft Registration Card - 27 Apr 1942

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