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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: benfraoch on Friday 11 January 08 13:52 GMT (UK)
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I have very little information about my great grandfather John Lane prior to his marriage in 1905 at the age of 24. I can only trace him to this point. However a new piece of information has come to light that he died in 1917 supposedly in Gallipoli.
I have looked at the Commonwealth War Graves site and the only John Lane that died in 1917 at the age of 36 was this one.
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=782365
LANE, JOHN Lance Serjeant East Surrey Regiment "A" Coy. 1st Bn.
Date of Death: 18/07/1917 Arras Memorial
Can anyone advise as to what I can do to find out more about this man?
I hope that is enough info to go on.
thanks Linda
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Hi Linda,
If you're looking at CWGC, don't forget those who are listed just with an initial "J" rather then John. Also don't forget those who are listed as age unknown.
Is John Lane his full name?
If he died in 1917 Gallipoli is not a possibility as the Dardanelles campaign was over by Jan 1916, but check other years as well.
Do you have a place of birth and/or place of residence for your John Lane?
Hopefully someone can look up details of this soldier in SDGW and compare details.
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Hi Neil
If you're looking at CWGC, don't forget those who are listed just with an initial "J" rather then John. Also don't forget those who are listed as age unknown.
Is John Lane his full name?
If he died in 1917 Gallipoli is not a possibility as the Dardanelles campaign was over by Jan 1916, but check other years as well.
Do you have a place of birth and/or place of residence for your John Lane?
Hopefully someone can look up details of this soldier in SDGW and compare details.
I followed your suggestion and copied all the J's, Johns and John Charles into a spreadsheet which gives me thirty casualties all ages including the unknowns from 1914 - 1919.
None appear to have died at Gallipoli as far as I can tell from the cemetery/memorial name.
I don't have a place of birth for him, but he was married in East Ham, London and his wifes death in 1913 was registered in West Ham, London - I don't know if that helps with regards to a regiment?
Is this a lost cause? I will need to wait for the 1911 census to find the family and see where he was born.
Thanks for your suggestions.
Linda
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Ok, well those thirty names are a good starting point.
With luck you can eliminate a few by virtue of the additional information given on CWGC (eg a wife's name, when you know your John Lane was a widower by then). If age is factored in too perhaps others can be eliminated (although I would leave 5 years leeway either side of your g-grandfather's supposed age).
Then a check against the records in SDGW will hopefully give places of birth/residence for some, so you can see if any look more likely than others.
Neil
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Hi Neil
I have waded through them all. Nothing has jumped out at me unfortunately. Most of the unknown ages don't have next of kin, and the rest didn't match any of the information I have.
The other thing about the John Lane in my first message is that his next of kin is his brother. I have no idea if my John Lane has a brother, but as a widower they couldn't have put his wife's name could they? All four of the children were very young when he died and I don't expect childrens details would appear anywhere on a war record.
Linda
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Hi Neil
None appear to have died at Gallipoli as far as I can tell from the cemetery/memorial name.
I don't have a place of birth for him, but he was married in East Ham, London and his wifes death in 1913 was registered in West Ham, London - I don't know if that helps with regards to a regiment?
Is this a lost cause? I will need to wait for the 1911 census to find the family and see where he was born.
Thanks for your suggestions.
Linda
Hi Linda,
As your link to CWGC shows, he was in the Eat Surrey Regiment. Here is a link to his Medal Index Card from the National Archives which you can download for £3.50
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=3471437&queryType=1&resultcount=1
with notes to help explain it
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/medals.asp
and for more information on the East Surrey Regiment, look here:
http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/031ESurr.htm
Do you have his marriage details? Or his parents names so we can have a look on the 1901 and 1891 censuses.
Glen
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Hi Glen,
Unfortunately for me John got married in 1905 so couldn't locate him in 1901 through his wife Edith. Found her and her family with no trouble. On wedding cert his father is named as Charles occupation Carpenter. Its a shame English wedding certs don't give place of birth isn't it.
Thanks for the links I will follow up on the medal card later if he looks like the best candidate. I will have a look at the East Surrey Regiment link too.
Thanks
Linda
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Hi Linda,
I've had a think about this and assume that he would only join the East Surrey Regiment if he was either local or had family connections and with his age in 1917 being 36, he would have been born around 1880-82.
FreeBMD has these birth entries for "John Lane" in the south or south east of England. It is unlikely that Charles would have moved much with a new baby so if you think some of these are less likely to be your John e.g. those born in Romsey or Sheppey, we only need to get onto the free Familysearch 1881 census
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=census/search_census.asp
to hopefully find Charles.
Here is the list of births
Births Mar 1880
LANE John Epsom 2a 4
LANE John Romsey 2c 87
Births Sep 1880
LANE John Bramwell Tunbridge 2a 611
LANE John James Lambeth 1d 473
Births Dec 1880
LANE John Davis Shoreditch 1c 117
Lane John Holme Mile End Old Town 1c 469
Births Mar 1881
LANE John Holborn 1b 845
LANE John Southgate Shoreditch 1c 85
Births Jun 1881
LANE John Westminster 1a 497
LANE John George St. Olave 1d 295
Births Sep 1881
LANE John Thomas Sheppey 2a 854
Births Dec 1881
Lane John Marylebone 1a 534
Lane John Alexander Croydon 2a 268
Lane John Richard Lewisham 1d 1113
Births Mar 1882
LANE John James Whitechapel 1c 374
LANE John Reginald J Stratford 6d 651
Births Jun 1882
Lane John Frederick Hackney 1b 554
Lane John Robert St. Geo. East 1c 389
Lane John Walter Hendon 3a 170
Births Sep 1882
Lane John Bolas Brentford 3a 109
Births Dec 1882
Lane John Joseph St Olave 1d 195
Lane John Joseph St. Olave 1d 196
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SDGW Gives him as Born St James London Enlisted Kingston Upon Thames.
Theres also 9564 pte John Lane KIA F+F 14/2/15 born Norwood enlisted Kingston on thames 2nd batt east surreys
Ady
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Hi Linda,
I've had a think about this and assume that he would only join the East Surrey Regiment if he was either local or had family connections and with his age in 1917 being 36, he would have been born around 1880-82.
Hi Spof
That was my thinking too, however if the enlistment as mentioned by mmm45 was Kingston upon Thames for both Lanes in the East Surreys then that is a long way from West Ham.
Thanks for listing all those births - I have removed all the names that have second names other than Charles. That leaves me with the following to check out.
Births Mar 1880
LANE John Epsom 2a 4
LANE John Romsey 2c 87
Births Mar 1881
LANE John Holborn 1b 845
Births Jun 1881
LANE John Westminster 1a 497
Births Dec 1881
Lane John Marylebone 1a 534
There is only one John Charles Lane in the time frame 1880-1882
Births Sep 1882
Lane John Charles Chorlton 8c 815 (Lancs - Manchester area)
I have been around the houses today trying to find the right family but am now confusing myself so need to step back and sort my notes out.
Thanks for your help. Linda
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Hi Ady, thanks for looking that up for me.
SDGW Gives him as Born St James London Enlisted Kingston Upon Thames.
Theres also 9564 pte John Lane KIA F+F 14/2/15 born Norwood enlisted Kingston on thames 2nd batt east surreys
Ady
I think this might be the John born Westminster
Births Jun 1881
LANE John Westminster 1a 497
John LANE Head 27 St James Westminster Tailor
Catherine LANE Wife 27 St James Westminster
Ellen LANE Daur 2 St Anne Westminster
John LANE Son 12 d St Anne Westminster * - 12 days old in 1881
According to the few clues I have he isn't my man, as father should be Charles Occupation Carpenter. Mind you the brother James mentioned as contact on the cwgc site isn't there on the 1881 but of course could be much younger than John.
The John Lane born Norwood is only 26 and his parents are wrong for my man.
I have now found one John Charles Lane on the cwgc site he doesn't have a birth date or any contact details so I am none the wiser about him.
Name: LANE, JOHN CHARLES
Initials: J C
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Pioneer
Regiment/Service: Royal Engineers
Unit Text: J special coy
Date of Death: 22/03/18
Service No: 128299
Linda
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SDGW has him(John Charles) as Enlisted Ealing Middlesex,Resident Hanwell Midsex.
Formerley a Royal Fusilier and RE.No place of birth.
Ady
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SDGW has him(John Charles) as Enlisted Ealing Middlesex,Resident Hanwell Midsex.
Formerley a Royal Fusilier and RE.No place of birth.
Ady
Thanks Ady. Is it unusual for someone to start in one regiment and then go to another? I take it there is no indication as to his age in the record?
I don't know of any connection to Hanwell but as my man has lost his wife and may have gone anywhere with the children I wouldn't want to rule him out.
Linda
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Hi Its not unusual especially if he got wounded he would get fixed then sent to who needed him most!!
If he had specialist skills he may got to Royal Engineers.
Ady
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Hi Its not unusual especially if he got wounded he would get fixed then sent to who needed him most!!
If he had specialist skills he may got to Royal Engineers.
Ady
Hi Ady, in 1907 he was a warehouseman so I don't think he had any engineering skills, but seeing as I don't know anything about him for the first 24 years of his life he could have done anything!
Linda