Stockwell War Memorial

Friends of Stockwell War Memorial & Gardens

age 22

Joseph Rogers

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J. Rogers
Private, Hampshire Regiment, 2nd Bn.
Service no. 27971
Died on 6 May 1918, aged about 22.
Remembered at Remembered at Cinq Rues British Cemetery, Hazebrouck, Nord, France

Chris Burge writes:

Joseph Rogers, born in Lambeth in 1896, was the youngest of six siblings. He was baptised together with his two-year-old brother Edward on 16 December at St Stephen’s Church, South Lambeth. His parents, Frederick James and Annie Maria (née Seeds) Rogers, gave the family address as 18 Beech Street, off Dorset Road, Stockwell, and his father worked as a ‘carman’. By the time of the 1911 census there had been four additions to the Rogers family and Joseph was now one of ten children whose ages ranged from eight to 21. Joseph’s father now worked as a ‘fitters labourer’. Three of Joseph’s brothers worked in various jobs for the London & South Western Railway and two of his sisters worked as packers, one in a chemical factory and another in a preserves factory. Joseph, 14, worked as a ‘printers boy’. The 12 members of the Rogers family lived in four rooms at 18 Beech Street, a property which also housed another family of six in four other rooms. 

By the outbreak of war in 1914, both of Joseph’s older sisters had married. His brother Edward had married in 1913 and had two children when he was conscripted in May 1916. Because he had longstanding health problems, Edward was placed on the Army Reserve and became a worker at Vickers munitions factory in Erith, Kent. 

Joseph was conscripted towards the end of 1916 and served only in the 2nd Hampshire once in France in 1917 and in 1918. The 2nd Hampshire were present at the Arras offensive in 1917 and at 3rd Ypres, notably in August and October 1917. In March 1918 they were still in the Ypres Salient but were moved south in early April when the enemy offensive between Ypres and Bethune threatened the import centres of Armentières and Hazebrouck. The situation was only stabilised by the end of April when they were digging the reserve line around La Motte, some three miles to the south of Hazebrouk. A tour of duty in forward positions between the 6 and 13 May was described as ‘quiet with few casualties’. Enemy planes had overflown the nearby Bois d’Aval strafing and dropping bombs each afternoon with little effect, something that might have made Joseph think of his brother Charles who was in the RAF back in England in 1918. With no other detail, the casualties for the 6 May 1918 were listed as ‘3 killed, 3 wounded, 3 sick to hospital, 3 reinforcements, 1 died of wounds’. Joseph Rogers was one of those killed in action on that day.

The Rogers family were still living in Beech Street after the end of the war. Joseph’s father Frederick James Rogers died in 1929, aged 64. Annie Maria Rogers was 81 when she passed away in 1948.

Bernard Christopher Rance

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barneyrance2
Bernard Christopher Rance Photo © Clare Stone

B. C. Rance
Service no. L/11692
Gunner, Royal Field Artillery, 27th Bde.
Died on 26 March 1917, aged about 22
Born in Lambeth; enlisted at Camberwell
Remembered at Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension, France

Brother of Charles F. Rance

rance1 (1)

Information from the National Roll of the Great War 1914-1918

Four Rance brothers served in the Great War: Bernard, Charles, James and Richard. William Arthur Rance, whose connection to the Lambeth Rances is unclear, also served. Spring 1915 must have been a trying time for their parents, William and Sarah Rance, with two sons attesting in March, another in April and a fourth in May. Sadly, two years later, in March and June 1917, the youngest two, Bernard and Charles, had been killed.

RANCE, B.C., Gunner, R.F.A.
He volunteered in March 1915 and in the following December was drafted to the Western Front, where he did excellent work as a Gunner at Ypres, the Somme, the Ancre and Arras. He gave his life for the freedom of England in March 1917, and was entitled to the 1914-15 Star, and the General Service and Victory Medals.
“A valiant soldier with undaunted heart he breasted Life’s last hill.”
155, Hartington Road, South Lambeth, S.W.8.

RANCE, C.F., Rifleman, 6th London Regiment (Rifles).
He volunteered in April 1915 and in the following September was drafted overseas. Whilst in France he fought in many engagements, including those on the Somme and at Arras. He gave his life for King and Country at Vimy Ridge on June 7th, 1917, and was entitled to the 1914-15 Star, and the General Service and Victory Medals.
“He died the noblest death a man can die,
Fighting for God, and right, and liberty.”
155, Hartington Road, South Lambeth, S.W.8.

RANCE, J. W., Sergt., King’s Royal Rifle Corps.
He had previously served in the South African War and in May 1915 re-enlisted and was drafted to France in the following March. During his service on the Western Front he fought on the Somme and at Richebourg, Bapaume, Givenchy and in many other engagements until the cessation of hostilities. He was demobilised in March 1919, and holds the General Service and Victory Medals.
155, Hartington Road, South Lambeth, S.W.8.

James Rance joined the Army in 1900 and saw service in South Africa and India. In 1905 he was invalided back to England suffering from malaria and ague (rheumatism). He appeared on the 1911 census aged 33 and working as a barman in a hotel. At this time, he had been married to Elizabeth Rance for 5 years and they had one child: Edward James Rance, born about 1908 in Lambeth. The family lived at 40 Bolney Street, a few doors down from James’s parents and the other children at home. However, by 1915 he had moved to 11 Clyston Street, just off Wandsworth Road.

James’s second Army career, serving in the King’s Royal Rifles during World War One, must have been testing, as this army was largely volunteers and conscripts. When he joined up, in May 1915, he was already 36. He rose quickly to Lance Corporal, to Lance Serjeant, to Corporal, to Serjeant. However, on 13 March 1917 he was punished for “disobeying a lawful command given by his Superior Officer.” His sentence was to be reduced in rank to Corporal. In April he was transferred to the Middlesex Regiment, and then in June to the Labour Corps. His character was described on demobilisation as “very good”.

RANCE, R., Bombadier, R.F.A.
He volunteered in May 1915 and in the following December was sent to France. During his service overseas he was frequently in action, notably on the Somme, the Ancre, and at Ypres, Arras, Cambrai and Peronne. He was demobilised in March 1919, and holds the 1914-15 Star, and the General SErvice and Victory Medals.
3, Madrid Place, Dorset Road, South Lambeth, S.W.8.

RANCE, W. A., Private, 24th London Regiment (Queen’s) is also described in the National Roll – he has no connection with this Rance family.

Information from the 1911 census

In 1911 the family was still living at 16 Bolney Street. The household consisted of
William Rance, 53, a furniture porter, born in Westminster
Sarah Rance, 53, also born in Westminster
Their children:
Agnes Rance, 23. The census transcript gives her occupation as “Surrey bank iron”. It is unclear whether this is something to do with the Surrey Iron Railway, a narrow gauge railway which ran between Wandsworth and Croydon or whether she was an ironer.
Lizzie Rance, 20, a dress maker
Albert Rance, 18, van guard
Barnard Rance, 16, a van guard
Charlie Rance, 13
All the children were born in Lambeth – no birthplace is given for Charlie
In all, William and Sarah Rance had nine surviving children, of 18 born alive.

Information from the 1901 census
In 1901 Bernard Christopher Rance, then 6, lived with his family at 16 Bolney Street. His father, given as William H. Rance on this census, was then 43 and described as a furniture porter. Bernard was registered as “Barney”. The children were:
Richard Rance, 18, a furniture carman
Agnes Rance, 13
Elizabeth Rance, 10
Albert Rance, 8
Barney Rance, 6, remembered on Stockwell War Memorial
Charles Rance, 3, also remembered on Stockwell War Memorial

Information from the 1891 census
In 1891, the family was living at 12 Bolney Street. William is listed as a labourer, and their children were:
James Rance, 12
Richard Rance, 8
George Rance, 6
Emily Rance, 5
Agnes Rance, 3
Elizabeth Rance, 6 months

Information from the 1881 census
In 1881 William and Sarah Rance lived at 19 Green Street, Newington. William is listed as a bricklayer’s labourer and Sarah as a charwoman They had at that time two children:
James Rance, 2
Richard Rance, not yet 1
Richard Havannagh, a 24-year-old single bricklayer’s labourer from Peckham, boarded.

On 19 August 2009, Avril Heron, who is a great-niece of Bernard Christopher Rance and Charles F. Rance, contributed the following information:

“William and Sarah Rance also had a daughter called Emily. She shows on the 1891 census aged 5. She was my grandmother, my mother’s mother. On the 1901 census she is shown working as a domestic kitchenmaid for a 56-year-old widow lady, Sophia Gregory, at 23 Wilkinson Street, just around the corner from Bolney Street where the rest of the family were living.

“Emily was a feisty lady, very strong and independent. She married William Lowton (who lived with his family in Dorset Road) and they sailed to Canada where my mother was born in 1909. I have found the family on the passenger lists. William Lowton joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force and I have his service record. The story in the family was that he died of the Spanish flu after the war,  and my grandmother, my mother and her two brothers came back on their own. I have looked in Canada and England for a death certificate for William Lowton but so far have not found one. Grandma never married again and I have always felt that there was a mystery here.

“I have recently contacted a lady whose grandfather was Albert Rance, older brother to Bernard and Charles, and have even got a photo of him. I am not sure about his service career.

“Agnes and Elizabeth were both quite poorly and my grandma told me ‘Poor Aunty Elizabeth used to sit on the stairs and cry bitterly.’ Just yesterday I discovered that Agnes lived until 1966 and was married to a Frederick Earl and seemed to live in 155 Hartington Road where her parents lived. Her husband’s father seems to have lived there also. Lots more to find out…

“Richard Havannagh, who was on the 1881 census as boarding with the family, must have been a very good friend of the family as he was a witness to William and Sarah’s wedding. I have tried to track him down the years but with no luck.”

On 27 August 2009, another Rance family member, Clare Stone, contributed this information:
“My grandfather, Albert Rance, served from 4 July 1914 to 3 July 1934 and was a Gunner in the Royal Artillery Corps for 8 years, and Army Reserve B & D for 11 years. However, my cousin recalls that Grandad spoke to him about being in the Military Police and I do have a postcard of theHMS Balmoral Castle with reference to this written on the back so it could be true – I would need to investigate.

albert rance

“Albert definitely served in India (he loved curry) and Jamaica but not sure at this point where else.  He was awarded the British Medal but it cannot be traced.  My cousin recalls a story that on his last visit to Grandad in hospital before he died, as he approached his bed he called out ‘Get down – the fuzzy wuzzies are coming!’. This was a reference to some event to do with the war, albeit not very politically correct for this day and age!

“When he left the Army he did very simple jobs such as porter and laundry man at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Surrey.  He married Rose Kallendar and had 6 children, 2 of which died as infants.  I am not sure when he moved from London but he lived in Hallsowen Road, Carshalton all of his married life.  He died a widower on 1 September 1968 age 75 following a stroke.

Albert is in the second row second from the right (with the monkey). Date unknown

All photos © Clare Stone

George Ormond

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G. Ormond
Service no. G/37729
Private, Royal Fusiliers, 11th Battalion
Born in Lambeth; enlisted in London; lived in Clapham
Killed in action on 30 September 1918, aged 22
CWGC: “Son of Mrs H. Ormond, of 56, Larkhall Lane, Clapham, London.”
Remembered at Unicorn Cemetery, Vend’huil, France, and at Waterloo Station, London

Information from Shani Wheatley

George Ormond was born in 1896. Before joining the Army, he was a van shifter working on the railway.

George’s father was William Ormond (born 1850 in Tolpuddle, Dorset. His mother was Harriet Norris (born 1858 at Fordington, Dorset). William and Harriet married in lambeth in 1877. William worked on the railway as a porter.

William’s grandfather was James Orman (born 1822 born the Hampreston or possibly the Horton area of Dorset) and his grandmother was Mary Wey (born 1830, Dorset). She is listed as Orman on the Births, Marriages and Deaths index but was buried as Mary Wey Ormond on 19 June 1851. As spelling was sometimes a hit-or-miss affair, these changes of spelling were not unusual.

Members of the Ormand family have traced their tree back to 1556, mainly from to parish records and visiting the area.

Thomas Percy Messenger

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T. P. Messenger
Service no. 202245
Lance Corporal, London Regiment, 1st/1st Battalion
Died on 28 May 1918 aged 22
Remembered at Soissons Memorial, France

Information from the censuses

Thomas Percy Messenger, a 15-year-old grocer’s errand boy, lived at 46 Horace Street, Stockwell, where his family occupied four rooms. His father, John Messenger, 56, a wood and coal merchant from Ashton Keynes, Wiltshire, and mother Elizabeth Messenger, 52, from Blackheath, south-east London, had 13 children, all of whom survived. Five were listed on the census:
Thomas Messenger, 15
Jane Messenger, 13
Cecil Messenger, 11
[Indecipherable] Messenger, 9 -see  below
Walter Messenger, 3
All were born in South Lambeth.
In 1901 the family lived at 4 Assaye Street, Lambeth.

Messenger, Thomas Percy
Thomas Percy Messenger’s death certificate

Information from Lin Marshall (née Messenger) – via email 6 December 2010

Regarding your entry for THOMAS PERCY MESSENGER, who was my great uncle, the name which you have listed as indecipherable is VICTOR.

I am a genealogist researching both my father’s and mother’s families.  I don’t know if the following is of interest to you, but I must tell you that I was overjoyed to see Tom included in your book.  I have informed all the Messenger relatives with whom I am in touch, and they are equally overjoyed. Though my great grandfather John has recorded on the 1911 Census record which you have quoted, that his wife Elizabeth (known as Lizzie) was born in Blackheath, actually she wasn’t!  She was born in Greenwich at 1 Luton Place, but was baptised in Collingbourne Kingston, Wiltshire, where her family lived and she grew up.  John Messenger was born in Inglesham, Wiltshire, not Ashton Keynes as he stated on the 1911 Census.  My great grandfather actually did not know where he was born, and usually said Cricklade! His family moved to Marlborough from where John walked through the Savernake Forest to court his Lizzie (nee Goddard)!

This is the entry I have in my family history for Thomas Messenger:

Thomas (Tom) Percy Messenger. Tom was born in Lambeth in 1895 (Civil Register: September quarter 1895, Lambeth, vol 1d, page 461).  He was baptised on 5th September 1895 at St Anne’s, South Lambeth.  On the 1911 Census, he was recorded by his father as living at home aged 15, an errand boy for a grocer.  He became a chef, then joined the First Battalion of the London Regiment during World War 1 and went to France.   He was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal and, at the time of his death, had attained the rank of Lance Corporal.  He went missing, presumed dead, on 28.05.1918 when only 22 years old. His name is recorded on the Stockwell Memorial.

messengerbirth
The baptismal record for Thomas Percy Messenger on 5 September 1895 at St Anne’s, South Lambeth.

Lin Marshall nee Messenger) discovered that Tom’s name was not included on the War Graves Commission’s Roll of Honour on the Internet and wrote asking to have it included, furnishing the necessary documentation as proof.  After some months, she was notified that all the records had been checked and he was now included, and also that his name was to be added to the memorial at Soissons in France, the memorial closest to where he had fallen.”

Albert John Laskey

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A. J. Laskey
Service no. 22997
Lance Corporal, Border Regiment, 1st Battalion; formerly 10696, East Surrey Regiment
Born in Lambeth; enlisted at Kingston-on-Thames; lived in Stockwell
Killed in action on 1 July 1916, aged about 22
Remembered at Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France

In 1911 Albert John David Laskey, 17, was working as an errand boy. He later became a greengrocer’s assistant, working for the Lackey family business at 6 Industrial Terrace, Brixton. However, he was let go from there as business was slack, according to Thomas Lackey, who provided a testimonial to the Army on Laskey’s good conduct. Lackey joined the East Surrey Regiment on 3 August 1913 at Kingston-on-Thames as a private.

Laskey lived with his family in four rooms at 33 Edithna Street, Stockwell. His father, William David, 46, was a “night porter (flats),” originally from Hempnall, Norfolk. His stepmother, Sarah Jane Eliza, 38, was from Islington, London. There were three half-siblings and two boarders.

The physical description of Laskey brings to mind a solid, well-built man. He was 5 feet 6½ inches tall, 10 stone, with a 34-inch chest, to which he could add 2 inches. He had a fresh complexion, with brown eyes and brown hair, a scar inside her right knee and a mile to the right of his abdomen.

There was only one misdemeanour on Laskey’s conduct sheet: at Kingston he was absent for three hours on 18 June 1915, for which he was punished with five days’ Confinement to Barracks and the loss of five days’ pay. Nevertheless, in July he was promoted to Lance Corporal.

Laskey went missing on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, when 19,240 men died during what became known as the Battle of Albert. His family now had an agonising wait to discover what had happened to him. On 19 September his wife, Florence Lily, wrote from her home at 55 Victor Road, Teddington, “I am asking if you [have heard] anything more of my husband. … He was reported missing on July 1st.” His stepmother wrote too. “Will you please let me know if you have any definite news of my son,” she pleaded on 26 March 1917. But Laskey’s body, like so many, was never found and he is remembered on Thiepval Memorial where those soldiers known only “to God” are listed.

Information from the 1911 census

In 1911 Albert John David Laskey, 17, was working as an errand boy. He lived with his family in 4 rooms at 33 Edithna Street, Stockwell. Albert’s father, William David Laskey, 46, was a “night porter (flats)”. He was from Hempnall, Norfolk. His mother, Sarah Jane Eliza Laskey, 38, was from St Luke’s, London. There were 4 children:
Albert John David Laskey, 17, born in Greenwich
Dorothy Alice Laskey, 7, born in Peckham
Jeannie Olga Laskey, 5, born in Peckham
David William Laskey, 3, born in Stockwell
There were 2 boarders: William John Rivers Willson, 50, a travelling coalman, born in Greenwich, and Ray Thorley Hepworth, 24, an actor from Leeds.

Hugh John Kemp

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H. J. Kemp
Service no. L/3287
Lance Corporal, 16th (The Queen’s) Lancers, “C” Sqdn.
Born in South Norwood; enlisted in London; lived in Clapham
Died of wounds age 22 on 22 October 1914
CWGC: “Son of Frank John and Ellen Kemp, of 40 Lansdowne Gardens, South Lambeth, London.”
Remembered at St Andre Communal Cemetery, Nord, France

Brother of Sydney Frank Kemp

Information from the National Archive Pension records

Hugh John Kemp joined the 3rd London Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery (Territorial Army) on 16 February 1909. He gave his age as 17 years and 2 months and stated that he was a clerk at “A. Stedall”. He was 5 feet 5½ inches; his chest measurement was 33 inches, with 3 inches expansion. Kemp’s physical development was “good”, although the officer who completed the form had started to write “poor” but struck it out.

On 10 February 1911 Kemp left the Territorial Army to enlist in the regular army. He joined the Lancers of the Line. By now he had grown to just over 5 feet 6¾ and his chest was 36 inches.

Information from the censuses

In 1911 Frank J. Kemp, 55, a hop factor’s clerk, and his wife Ellen Kemp, 52, headed a large family living at 40 Lansdowne Gardens, where they occupied 11 rooms. Frank and Ellen had had 12 children, of whom 11 survived.
Frank was originally from West Wickham in Kent and Ellen from Pebmarsh in Essex. Their large family consisted of
Sydney F. Kemp, 26, working in “fruit farming”, born in Peckham, who died in 1918
Constance P. Kemp, 24, a shorthand typist, born in New Cross
Thomas C. Kemp, 21, a colonial agent’s representative in the drapery trade, born in New Cross
Winifred M. Kemp, 20, another shorthand typist, born in East Dulwich
Mabel E. Kemp, 16, not working, born in South Norwood
Leslie A. Kemp, 15, a junior clerk, born in South Norwood
Ivy G. Kemp, 14, at school, born in South Norwood
Doris F. Kemp, 12, at school, born in East Dulwich
Stanley E. Kemp, 10, at school, born in Nunhead
In addition, there was a nephew, Frederick H. Kemp, 26, a musician born in Brixton, and a niece, Ivy Nicholls, 16, a dressmaker’s assistant, born in Hamptonshire, Middlesex.
In 1911 Hugh John Kemp, 19, was at the barracks of the 16th Lancers at Woolwich Common – he was a private.
He appears on the 1901 census as an eight-year-old. At that time, the family was living 45 Nunhead Lane, Camberwell. Hugh John is listed as having been born at South Norwood. Sydney (given as Sidney) is described as a stockbroker’s clerk.