Who was “Uncle Albert”?

In December 2017 I spotted a request from Sherri Murphy of Shantytown on the popular Facebook group West Coast South Island history. “I’m am after any information on Albert Lawn” Sherri asked “he had a Barbers shop in Reefton then Hokitika. I especially would like to know the name of his Barbers in Hoki.”  Sherri is in the process of re-creating Albert Lawn’s barber shop at Shantytown and the following information we have gathered includes excerpts from To Live a Long and Prosperous Life, West Coast Recollect (sister site to West Coast South Island history), Shantytown and Hokitika Museum  archives and descendants of Albert. Perhaps this post will jog a few more memories and bring more information to light.

Albert Harold Lawn was born on 9 June 1878, probably at Blacks Point. He was the second son of Thomas Henry and Sarah Esther (nee Hart) Lawn. Thomas and Sarah Lawn had married in Greymouth in 1876 and began married life in Blacks Point, a short distance out of Reefton; Sarah’s precious piano made the journey up the Grey river on a boat, then over the Reefton saddle to the Inangahua river, and again by boat to Black’s Point. Thomas and Sarah soon had their first child, Samuel, who was born the following year in January 1877. He was soon followed by Albert born in June 1878, followed by Norman in 1880.

By the end of 1885 the Lawns were all living in Greymouth again: Thomas and Sarah had moved back from Reefton in 1882 in time for the birth of their son Frank on the first of February, Ernest arrived two years later and Victor in 1887.

Lawn brothers, Greymouth c1891: Left to Right standing: Albert, Samuel, Norman. Sitting; Victor, Ernest, Frank.  HLR collection

Thomas and Sarah and their family returned to live in Reefton in December 1890. Esther was born in 1895 and Ida was born in 1897. The home of Sarah and Thomas, and their six boys and two girls sat up on the Terrace with a wide verandah at the front. Even though the older boys had left school it seems Sam and Albert both shifted to Reefton as well. Norman was still at school when they came to Reefton, he later attended Nelson College on a scholarship and began work in the Consolidated Goldfields Company, first assisting and then running the assay office. The older boys seemed quite at home in Reefton. . .

. . . In the years to come social and sporting events in the Inangahua Times invariably had at least one Lawn listed as a team member, player or singer contributing. Sarah Lawn continued to fit teaching piano and singing around her growing family, who all learned music as they got older. . .  Thomas and Sarah’s eldest sons Sam and Albert Lawn appeared in concerts, Albert playing the auto-harp and Sam the euphonium.

Albert Lawn, c1897

In June 1898 Sarah’s son Albert went into business on his own account when he took over a tobacco shop and hairdressing business ‘The Leading Hair-dressing Saloon’ on Broadway, Reefton where among other things, he ‘made up ladies own combings’ as well as false moustaches and wigs. His profile and a dashing photograph were published in the Cyclopedia of New Zealand (Nelson Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts) in 1906 (page 251-252) The entries in these were paid for by the contributors, so could arguably called ‘Vanity’ publications, and not always accurate. Albert’s description of his ‘Toilet Club’ has lead to much mirth in modern audiences, although the term ‘toilet’ at the time meant the same as personal grooming. 

Albert married Harriet Noble on the 13 November 1901. This event and  the extended family photograph has been covered in an earlier post, see Lawn Cousins. In 1902 Thomas Lawn died. Sarah and Thomas’s sons Albert and Norman Lawn both remained in Reefton when their mother and sisters shifted back to Greymouth.

Another photograph survives from this period probably taken mid- to late-1903. It is a four generation photograph, of Albert with his first-born daughter Dorothy (born in December 1902), his mother Sarah and grandmother, Dinah Hansen.

Albert Lawn with his daughter Dorothy, Flanked by his grandmother Dinah Hansen and mother Sarah Lawn courtesy I. Messenger

Albert and Harriet Lawn had their second of two children in 1904; family stories recall young Harold visiting his grandmother Sarah and great-grandmother Dinah in Greymouth and taking afternoon tea. The little boy asked if he could have a piece of cake that was on table, and Dinah told him she would tell him when he could have it. Again the little boy asked, and again came the answer ‘I will tell you when you can have it’. To the mortification of his parents, and the astonishment of all others present, in a fit of great daring Harold suddenly snatched the cake off the plate and threw it at Dinah, hitting her in the eye. His father mildly remarked: ‘he was always a good shot’.

Albert Lawn 1906 Cyclopedia

 LAWN, ALBERT H., Hairdresser  and Tobacconist, Broadway, Reefton.

This business  was established  by Mr. R. J. Simpson and taken  over by the present  proprietor in June, 1898.

The hairdressing saloon is handsomely equipped  with  three  up-to-date chairs, and every  necessary  comfort  has been provided at considerable expense.  Mr. Lawn subscribes to, and places in his saloon, all the West Coast papers and Canterbury  weeklies. The shop is well stocked with the leading  brands  of tobacco, pipes, cigars and cigarettes. The show window  is one of the best in the town, and is at all times tastefully dressed. A feature  of Mr. Lawn’s business is a toilet  Club, with a membership of thirty-five, including some of the principal  residents  of Reefton. There is a complete  tobacco-cutting plant  on the premises.  Mr. Lawn was born and educated in Greymouth. He served  his apprenticeship in Wellington  with  Mr. L. P. Christenson, a well-known hairdresser and tobacconist of that  city.

In 1913, Albert and Harriet moved to Hokitika, where they had a house on the corner of Hampton and Bealey Streets, and Albert opened a shop in Revell Street. One year later was the 1914 outbreak of WWI. Albert was 36 and with two children was graded C in the Reserve Roll. In September 1918 he was reported as seriously ill in the local newspaper and confined to bed for several weeks. His ill health could have passed him as unfit if he was called up, which he was in the ballot drawn in September 1918, published in the newspaper. No official army file exists for Albert, therefore it is likely that he was not actually processed for service.

Grandson Keith Stopforth described what he knew of his grandparents:

In 1913 he moved to Hokitika and opened a barbers shop that he ran with his wife – she sold the tobacco and newspapers at the front of the shop. The shop was always busy with lots of men seated on the long wooden seats down either side of the walls. Some I think were only there to talk. He had 3 or 4 chairs and 2 other barbers helping him.  There was an open fire at the end of the shop where men would pass the time of day while they waited for a haircut, a shave or their whiskers trimmed. My grandmother worked in the front of the shop, tobacco sales and cigarettes kept her busy. . .

 . . . He could play anything to fit the occasion.  He had his own band called the Black Hand Band that comprised of two pianists and eight other musicians. He established the ‘Black Hand Society‘ which was a group of friends that gathered together for social evenings. It was exclusive and the yellow badge  with the black outspread hand was keenly sort after. [an example of the tin badge in Hokitika Museum (“Beware we never fail”) is red and black] 

(Keith Stopforth, 2003 to J. Bradshaw, Shantytown.)

According to Keith, his grandfather had never been taught to play the piano – however this is most likely incorrect, given that his mother Sarah was a music teacher from before her marriage, and almost certainly taught all her children to play along with the many students she tutored throughout her life.

Writing his reminiscences of Hokitika, local man  Henry Pierson recalled that Albert’s shop on Revell Street . . . was next door to an old watchmaker called Clark. . . next to that a small lolly shop occupied by . . . Winnie Westbrook. . . Next to Winnie’s was James King Bookseller and Stationer.  Pierson continues:

“Albert Lawn, the barber and tobacconist next door to Winnies, used to give us short back and sides for threepence.  He was well known for his musical talent and his dance band, the Black Hand, was immensely popular in the 1930s. It gained quite a reputation throughout the West Coast. Because of his great sense of humour, his salon was often the centre of outrageous stories and much hilarity. Some of the town’s local characters came in only to tell a yarn or exchange some tit bit of local scandal to which Albert would respond by adding his own version of the subject.”

(pp 13-15, Pierson, H. (2004) The Crooked Mile: Revell Street as I knew it. Silverfox: Christchurch.)

Great grandson Mike Stopforth adds:  The family lived out the back.  Nana told me once that they weren’t allowed to go out to the front of the shop and they had to come and go the back way.  It was located where the old Supermarket used to be when it was just a four square.

Arguably one of Albert’s ‘proudest’ occasions came in May 1920 with the visit to New Zealand of Edward, Prince of Wales. Arriving on the HMS Renown, in Auckland in late April, he departed Lyttelton, New Zealand at the end of May, enroute for Australia and India.

Preparations for the Prince’s visit to various locations around New Zealand were met with an astonishing frenzy of patriotic excitement, with civic events, triumphal arches (involving large quantities of fern fronds), and hordes of school children and obligatory pretty young ladies positioned to catch the playboy Prince’s eye. Bunting and flags were strung everywhere, children wrote essays and holidays declared. The newly formed RSA were hopeful to have their building officially opened, and returned servicemen were lined up to be presented with medals. In Greymouth, a young man Mr. R. G. Caigou of the Public Works Department spent hours laboriously painted an illuminated address to be presented to HRH by the Mayor on behalf of the citizens (see bottom of this post for an image of the address). This young man became Albert’s brother-in-law when his sister Esther married Russell Caigou in Greymouth, in January 1921.

The visit of the Prince to the Coast was somewhat fleeting: he came by train as far as he could from Nelson, motored to Westport, then back to Reefton in a motorcade of 30 cars that included being ‘filmed for the cinema’ passing through fern arch on the Buller. (The press car ended up upside down in a ditch full of blackberries before it reached Reefton). On the 12 May the Prince went by train from Reefton to Hokitika, where he spent the night and then to Greymouth the next day before heading to Christchurch. Details of events of the tour were reported in newspapers all over New Zealand (and overseas).

“We Revere You As Our Prince” Welcome to Hokitika – Prince of Wales visit 1920. Contributed to West Coast Recollect by Tom Hartill

In Hokitika on the night of the 12 May a grand ball was held in his honour.  The Black Hand Band played and after the event the members were greeted by the Prince and shook his hand. According to Keith Stopforth the Prince was so intrigued by the name [of the band] that he enrolled as an honorary member of the Black Hand Society.

The following was originally published in the Melbourne Age:

“PROMENADE YOUR PARTNERS”

AND THE PRINCE DOES SO. A HUMOROUS PICTURE A delightfully humorous picture of the ball given at Hokitika in honour of the Prince of Wales was cabled to the Melbourne Age by one of the correspondents with the Royal party. He said: “The ball at Hokitika was an enormous popular success. After a public reception the Prince, attended by his staff, proceeded to the ball, which began at 10 o’clock. Most of the young men attending wore tweed suits. One old gentleman wandered through the happy throng wearing a long overcoat dating back to the period when “Bully” Hayes used to make Hokitika a favourite port of call when returning from his predatory expeditions among the islands. Another elderly dancer appeared in tweed trousers and a Cardigan jacket buttoned tightly around the throat. The ladies devoted more attention to dress than the Hokitika men. Many were accomplished dancers, and the Prince danced vigorously with a succession of Hokitika girls. In the official set, which opened the ball, Mrs R. J. Seddon, widow of the late democratic Imperialist, took part. The Prince danced in the set with Miss Perry, the Mayor’s daughter. A dance or two later the master of ceremonies, taking the middle of the floor, issued in a loud word of command, ‘Promenade your partners for circular waltz.’ The Prince does not care about waltzing as a general rule at balls which he attends, and he frequently exercises the Royal prerogative of cutting waltzes out of the programme, substituting one-steps or fox trots. At Hokitika, however, he promenaded his partner, according to directions, with the rest. Supper was an immense success. Rising early, a cool breeze from the snowclad mountains refreshed overnight revellers. From the hotel windows one could see Mount Cook, covered with snow apparently overlooking Hokitika, but in reality many scores of miles away.

Black Hand Band at the “Marquis of Lawn Hotel” (Lawn residence) – Collection of Hokitika Museum

Albert and Harriet Lawn in the 1920s courtesy Kath Stopforth

In later years Albert became a radio announcer and had his own children’s session once a week from Hokitika on Thursday nights. Known as Uncle Albert he was obviously very popular as he had a studio photograph that was given out to his listeners. A copy of this photo, cropped without the inscription is in the HLR collection – it wasn’t until Sherri shared this image that I realised that this was Albert Lawn in later life.

“Uncle Albert” Mike Stopforth

 

“In Weld Street , Hokitika, was the studio . . . “Uncle Albert” was the man children came to love. Uncle Albert was gifted with his hands – not just for his daily job of haircutting, but as a pianist who had learnt to play by ear. One of his proudest occasions would be when the Duke of Windsor [sic] visited Hokitika in the 1920s – Uncle Albert being the official pianist as a member of the Black Hands [sic] Orchestra. 

He was often heard on Mickey Spier’s 3ZR Greymouth radio station conducting sessions with Donald McLeod, a well known identity who possessed a phenomenal memory. Within the space of seconds Donald would answer any questions, including trick ones, relating to events and dates, he was seldom wrong. Also joining “Uncle Albert” as he was known to radio listeners was ‘Aunt Dorothy’ (Jock Robinson) a talented pianist of Hokitika.

Bill Dwan served his apprenticeship with Albert Lawn, until he left to open his own business in Weld Street. Ron Brown, another of Albert’s apprentices, opened his own shop in the Regent Theatre corner shop.

After Lawn’s barber and tobacconist shop had closed down, Don Ramsey conducted a radio and records business in it for some years.”

pg 26 Looking at the West Coast, August 1965

A staunch Labour party supporter, he represented the Blind institute on the West Coast for many years. After suffering from diabetes for some time, Albert lost his left arm to the disease.

Albert Lawn courtesy Kath Stopforth

Understandably this was devastating for him as it meant he was no-longer able to work or play the piano, although there is one account of him wearing a prosthetic limb so he could play chords on the piano. However, family reported he sunk into a deep depression, from which he never truly recovered.

Albert Harold Lawn died in Hokitika on 22 April 1952, aged 72. Harriet lived until the age of 82, until she died in 1961. They are buried together in Hokitika.

Update September 2020:

A photograph of Russell Caigou’s illuminated address presented to the Prince of Wales. Kindly supplied by P. Caigou

John Webster Lawn

Of the Lawn family who I wrote of in my book and in previous posts, regular followers of this blog may recall that there were two sets of brothers – Cornish cousins, who came to New Zealand: James, John and Henry Lawn (I am a descendant of James) and Thomas and Edmund Lawn. These cousins were ‘double’ cousins – their mothers were sisters and their fathers were brothers.

Thomas and Edmund Lawn were the sons of John Lawn (b 1813) and Ann Webster (b 1815), both from the Gwennap area in Cornwall who married in 1836. Like the rest of the Lawn family, John was a miner, and his sons after him. There were nine children in the family, but not all of them made old bones:

• Joseph Webster Lawn, b 1837, died in Melbourne, Australia in 1891,
• John Webster Lawn, b 1837, died in Dalton in Furness, Lancashire in 1906,
• Thomas Henry Lawn, b 1842, died in Reefton, New Zealand in 1902,
• Emily Lawn, b 1844, died in Ulverston, Lancashire in 1873,
• Richard Lawn, b 1847, died in Redruth, Cornwall in 1857,
• Edmund Henry Lawn, b 1850, died in Reefton, New Zealand in 1894,
• Samuel Lawn, b 1852, died in Ulverston, Lancashire in 1871,
• Alfred Lawn, b 1855, died in Ulverston, Lancashire in 1871,
• Richard Lawn, b 1857, died in Redruth in 1861,

This photograph of Lawn brothers and cousins was probably taken about 1868, and includes three of John Webster’s sons: Edmund, Alfred and Sam. It may have been taken at the time that Henry Lawn was married∗. For a long time this photograph, copies of which are in various descendants families, was labelled as ‘unknown Lawns’, until I found a named copy in Dunedin. Given two of the boys picture died just a few months apart in 1871, was this why the photograph was kept within the family? Where is the original of this photograph?

Back: David Lawn, cousins Edmund, Sam and Alfred Lawn (brothers of Thomas Lawn), Front: Benjamin (later Rev.) Lawn, Tom Cowley (another cousin) Henry Lawn. Edmund also came to New Zealand, while both Sam and Alfred died within months of each other in Dalton in Furness in  1871 aged 18 and 16 years. [Update: taken in Barrow in Furness. An original copy was given to Bob Lawn of Reefton by Florrie Bishop, nee James (1888-1986)]

 

John Webster Lawn

John Webster, the second son of John and Ann, began working life in the copper mines in Lanner just like his father, uncles brothers and cousins, but by the late 1850s he had left the area for the more stable iron mining district of Dalton in Furness, Lancashire. In 1861 census, age 21,  he was recorded as lodging with another Gwennap man; Iron Ore Agent William Job and his wife in St Anne Street, Dalton. A few years later in 1864 he married a local girl, Eleanor Gunson. He soon worked his way up and became mining captain in the Barrow Hematite Steel Company, working in Park mine around 1863, a position he had held for 16 years when he gave lengthy evidence during the inquest of the death of two miners killed in a collapse of ore (see: Ulverston Mirror and Furness Reflector June 21, 1879).

From 1871 John was described in census as Iron Ore Agent, the family living firstly in Ulverston Road, then by 1891 their address was given as Fair View, with John now listed as Assistant Manager at Iron Mine. John contributed to his local community; standing for local board elections, eventually becoming Chairman of Dalton District Council. He was closely involved with the local Methodist church and laid a memorial stone to commemorate the building of the Methodist Sunday school in Dalton.

John Webster and Eleanor Gunson Lawn’s family consisted of seven children, but only two daughters and a son survived childhood.

Mary, b 1866, died in 1879 aged 13. James Gunson Lawn b 1868 was the only child of John Webster and Eleanor Lawn to marry and have children. More about him later. Annie, b 1870, died aged 3 in 1873. Her sisters Ada and Emily were born in 1872 and 1874. Both girls remained single, but like their brother James Gunson, were well-educated at boarding school and became teachers. Emily Lawn was also a researcher in the record office of the British Museum and Somerset House in London. The youngest children of John Webster and Eleanor Lawn were Joseph, born in 1876, died 1877 aged 9 months and Eleanor born 1878, died 1879 aged 3 months.

John Webster Lawn Family c 1899: Ada and Emily (not sure which is which), James Gunson Lawn with their parents John Webster Lawn and Eleanor née Gunson, James Gunson’s first wife Mary née Searle (far right) and from left their children John Gunson ‘Jack’ Lawn b 1894, Marjorie Lawn b 1893 and Laurence ‘Laurie’ b 1898 [image from HLR]

28th April 1906, Greymouth Evening Star. 

“Death of a Gwennap man in Lancashire. Another of the old familiar faces at Dalton has disappeared.  Among all of the people of the town none was better known none could have been more respected than Mr John Webster Lawn, of Fair View; and it was with regret that the announcement was heard on Friday, that he had passed away at seven o’clock that morning.  He had been in failing health for two or three years, and as a result was compelled to relinquish the important position of mine manager under the Barrow Hematite Steel Company.   Mr Lawn was born in the parish of Gwennap, Cornwall, 66 years ago, and came to the North of England 47 or 48 years ago.  By his diligence and perseverance, he rose from the lowest position in the Park Mines to the highest.   He was appointed mining captain in the days of the mines when they were owned by Messrs Selmeider and Hannay, and he continued his connection when they were taken over by the Barrow Hematite Company.   After the retirement of the late Mr Richard Hosking, the managership of the mines was vested in Mr William Kellett, J. P., of Southport, and Mr Lawn was appointed resident manager.  That position was held up to the time of Mr Kellett’s death, when he was chosen general mine manager.   He held the office to January, 1904, when his health gave way, and he was given six months’ rest.  His health did not improve, however, and he felt compelled to resign the position. 

 As a public man, Mr Lawn’s services were often sought.  He was elected to the Local Board in 1885, and continued to be a member of that body and the Urban Council up to 1904 – a period of nearly 20 years.  He held the post of chairman in 1889 and 1890, and was again elected to that seat in 1893, continuing till 1898.   As chairman of the Urban Council, he sat a magistrate (the first working man J. P.) on the Ulverston Bench for four years.  The flag at the Council offices in Station Road flew at half-mast.  He was also connected with the old Burial Board, and the Gas Committee, and was an overseer.  At public meetings, concerts, and the like, his services were freely and generously given.   In politics he was a Liberal, but took ne active part except on the temperance question, being a strong Abstinence man.   To say that he was respected by his fellow townsmen is to freely express the feelings of those who knew him best.  He adorned every position he occupied, wether in public, social, or religious life, and was a very valuable person.  Mr Lawn was an earnest Wesleyan Methodist, a class leader, and a local preacher for many years.  He spent his leisure in preparation for his pulpit work, and for religious engagements.  His services were much appreciated wherever he went and especially in the Barrow, Ulverston and Millom circuits.  He knew Methodism in these parts from the earliest days, and took an active part in its rise and progress throughout the towns and villages of the district.  Mr Lawn leaves a widow and three children, including Professor James G. Lawn, mining expert, of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Every shade of politics, every shade of religious belief, almost every profession and trade were represented at the funeral at the Dalton cemetery on Sunday afternoon.  An addition to the chief mourners, others present were Mrs Lawn, Miss Ada E. Lawn, Miss Emily Law and Mr David Lawn.  The remains were enclosed in a plain oak coffin bearing a plate with the words “John Webster Lawn, died March 2nd, 1906, aged 66 years”.  Following the hearse and mourning coaches was the horse and trap which Mr Lawn had used for many years in his daily round of the different mining properties worked by the Barrow Hematite Steel Company. 

The above are taken from the “North Western News and Mail,” and were written by a Cambornian  on the staff of the above paper.    Mr John Webster Lawn was the last surviving brother of the late Thomas Lawn, well known in Reefton and Greymouth, and cousin of John Lawn, of Reefton.”

(followed by a lengthy list of attendees and concludes below:)

Excerpts from Soulby’s Ulverston Advertiser and General Intelligencer March 8, 1906

 

Lawn memorial in Dalton Cemetery (see https://furnessstoriesbehindthestones.co.uk/?s=John+Webster+Lawn)

∗ While the Lawn cousins who came to New Zealand eventually settled down and married, two brothers of James and John: George and Henry returned to England to marry.  Henry returned for a couple of years: he married Harriet Richards in Gwennap in 1868, and then went to work in the mines in Dalton in Furness where his first son Charles was born. In May 1870 he left the UK and returned to New Zealand and in 1873 sponsored his wife and baby son as new immigrants. George married Sarah Barnett in Gwennap in 1874 and had several children; he died in 1879 before his youngest was born.

 

 

Around the world and back again

Earlier I have written about how my great great grandfather James Lawn and his brothers were double cousins with Thomas and Edmund Lawn – related through their mother and father. Here is the story of another cousin, a Lawn descendant who also became New Zealand immigrant in the 19th Century  – but with a twist: she returned to England.

Timothy and Grace Lawn had at least 10 children, although not all survived to adulthood. Of Grace and Timothy’s children, not all are traceable with certainty. James Lawn, b 1812, (father of my great great grandfather James and his brothers John and Henry Lawn) and John Lawn, b 1813, (father of Thomas and Edmund Lawn), had a sister: Elizabeth Lawn, baptised in September 1818. Elizabeth had married Richard Hand, a miner, on the 14 January 1838 in Redruth, Cornwall. In 1851 Richard was described on the census as an Agent for a Copper Mine, and the family was living at South Down, Redruth.

A Cornish Cousin

Richard and Elizabeth Hand had seven children between 1840 and 1854 (Susan,  Eliza, Elizabeth, John, Julia, Caroline and Alma), before Richard died in 1860. As a widow, Elizabeth was to become a servant and eventually shifted to Dalton in Furness where her youngest daughter and son-in-law lived. Not all of Elizabeth and Richard’s children have been traced, but their fifth child, Julia Hand, born 17 March 1849 was to come to New Zealand.

Julia Hand later Wills, another cousin to the Lawn brothers and cousins

Julia Hand was ten when her father died, and still at school on the 1861 census. Her mother was described as ‘Fund holder’ indicating that at least for a while there was some sort of annuity or pension for her after Richard’s death.

It is quite well-known that there was a huge number of people – a ‘diaspora’ – who left Cornwall following the fall in the price of Copper and the failure of mining – the principal employment for thousands and thousands of Cornish folk. Many young men, like the Lawn brothers and cousins sought mining work around the world – in gold and another metals, or even coal mining. Some went north into the iron mining industries, while others travelled to the colonies: Australia, New Zealand, Canada.  What is also apparent is that many young women also left and looked for work too. Julia Hand was one of these, travelling to a position in service, nearly four hundred miles away from her birthplace.

By the 1871 census Julia, then aged 22, was working as a housemaid for a hotel keeper in Harrogate, Yorkshire.  Harrogate was a lively and fashionable spa resort, with plenty of tourists coming to ‘take the waters’ (and suck on a Harrogate toffee to take away the horrid taste afterwards) so it is not surprising the there was opportunity for employment for a young woman, but one does wonder how it was she got all the way from Cornwall to Yorkshire.  She wasn’t however, far from family: Her sister Eliza had married Samuel Clark, a carpenter and joiner in 1865. By 1871 Eliza and Samuel were living in Worksop, Nottinghamshire with their firstborn, Samuel junior. In Dalton on Furness was John Hand, age 24, living alone and working as an Iron ore miner.

Whatever the means for Julia journeying to Yorkshire, the reasons were to make a better life for herself, and it soon became apparent that she had ambitions for a better life on the other side of the world. Perhaps after a final trip home to farewell her mother and friends from home, Julia departed for New Zealand. She almost certainly knew of her cousins who had come out over a decade earlier, chasing the bright fine gold, but it is not known whether there were contact made before she came, or once she had settled.

The first record of Julia’s life in New Zealand is her marriage; which took place in Port Chalmers, near Dunedin. She married Robert John Wills, a blacksmith, on the 19 February 1876 at the residence of Mrs Attwood, Harrington Street, Port Chalmers.   Julia was a month shy of 27, her husband was five years younger, aged 22. Julia was recorded as a general servant, and three witnesses were Annie Attwood, Rebecca Stone – and John Hand, Quarryman, Port Chalmers: it seems that Julia’s brother had also immigrated, although after this record I have yet to trace him with certainty in New Zealand.

Julia and Robert Wills

Robert Wills was from Portland, Dorset, the eldest of large family. In 1871 he was working as a Smith’s Striker for his father, a blacksmith. When he was 20 he had emigrated to New Zealand on the Assaye,  leaving London on the 1 September 1874 and arrived on 26 December 1874 in Auckland.

A tall, slender young woman, Julia obviously had the same tenacity and hard-working ethic of her Cornish cousins, and applied that to her new life in the colony.  Julia probably had not been long in New Zealand when she began her new life as a wife and, soon, mother to a growing brood of children. Robert’s trade as a blacksmith would find ready work. He was last recorded living up the hill in Maclaggan Street, Dunedin, in 1890. Now developed with retail warehouses, one building remains on this street from the late 19th Century close to where the Wills family lived: Wright Stephenson & Co Wool, Horse and Grain Sale Yard was an ideal place to situate a nearby blacksmithing business.

Maclaggan Street, Dunedin. ( image Google Street View)

Robert and Julia had nine children in quick succession: Robert 1877, Elizabeth (Bessie) 1878, William 1879, Thomas 1881 (who lived three weeks), twins Fanny and Harriet 1882,  Jessie 1884,  Mabel in 1887 and Richard in 1890. It seems that the last child was born in Wellington, so they may have left Dunedin around 1890.

But tragedy wasn’t far away – first one of the twins, Fanny, died aged just six months in January 1883, followed by their eldest child Robert Richard four months later, in May 1883, aged just six years old. Two years later the family mourned again as another infant daughter, Jessie, just over 15 months old, was buried in May 1885, almost two years to the day from when her eldest brother was laid to rest. The three siblings lie in a neatly concreted plot, but with no headstone in the Southern Cemetery, Dunedin.

Perhaps these tragedies, although not unusual for the times, made the distance from ‘home’ more acute. Perhaps it was the perishing cold Dunedin winters, or perhaps Julia’s health was not the best. Whatever the reason, something seems to have ended the family’s life in New Zealand and about 1895 they had returned to England, where they were found in 1901 at 26 Ventor Road, Portland, Dorset, with Robert working as a general labourer and just the youngest three children, Harriet, Mabel and Richard still at home. Bessie had married in 1900, and she was living not far away.  William is harder to trace –  some researchers believe he was in the Navy.

Julia Wills née Lawn died at their Ventor Road home in February 1902 aged just 52 years, and was buried at St George’s Church of England cemetery in Portland, Dorset.

Her mother Elizabeth Hand, neé Lawn, died two years later, in January 1904. She was buried in Worksop, Nottinghamshire.

After Julia’s death, her husband Robert Wills remarried, and he ventured in a new career as a licensed victualler – he was now running the Sailor’s Return Inn in Castletown [street] on the seafront, Portland. (Portland is actually a tied island on the English Channel, and is sometimes refered to as the Isle of Portland, it is also very close to Weymouth). The Inn was just a couple of doors away from where Robert grew up and learned his trade.

Sailors Return, Castletown, Portland.

The 1911 census is the most interesting of UK census as the forms retained are not transcriptions but the individual household forms completed by head of house, so not only do we see their handwriting, but also the information as they wrote it. However it was not Robert, but an Edward Lillywhite who filled out the form. He got a bit carried away and had to cross out and re-record details. Robert’s age as 53, then amended to 57, his wife Mary (a widow, who brought two children to the marriage) was 52. Living in the blended household were three of Robert and Julia’s now adult children: Richard, 21, mariner employed by the Admiralty, (his birthplace was recorded as Wellington, New Zealand) Harriet aged 28 – single (no occupation recorded) and Mabel, 21 also single (no occupation recorded). All three are carefully recorded as British subjects by parents birth. Mary’s daughters Florence (20) and Alice (18) Turner, and a couple of boarders Thomas Perrin, 15, a boy mariner and James Male, a retired seaman completed the occupants.

A New Zealand cousin

Mabel Annie Wills was born at 25 Maclaggan Street, Dunedin on the 25 February 1887. She was the eight child of Robert and Julia Wills, but with the death of her five older siblings she became the third eldest.  Not long after the 1911 census WWI loomed large on the horizon, especially for the port towns in the southern counties.  As young men either signed up or were called up to do their bit, young women found themselves also drawn into the war effort, taking over the jobs young men did in the farms and factories, as well as becoming part of the war effort itself: working as nurses, mechanics, and drivers alongside the military in their many UK bases. Young women who weren’t otherwise gainfully employed also played a vital part in the moral of troops by manning tea and refreshment stalls and hosting dinners, dances and socials for those on leave or recuperating from wounds or illness.  Pouring in from overseas to train in camps before being sent to the front, and then returning for rest and short amounts of leave were countless young, homesick lads, who welcomed the distraction of the company of young women; many forged friendships and relationships blossomed into proposals and marriage.

Thus it was that Mabel Wills married Robert Highet on December 12, 1918, in the Brackenbury Church, Fortuneswell, when she was 31 years old. Fourtuneswell is the neighbourhood where the Wills lived in 1901.  Robert was a Kiwi soldier, who was serving in the New Zealand Army. He was born on the August 15, 1886, in Wellington, New Zealand. Robert had signed up in 1914 in the 12th (Nelson) Company, 1st Battalion, Canterbury Infantry Regiment.

Robert Highet during active service

Robert’s  address at their marriage was given as ‘No. 1 Camp, Sling, Burford’ while Mabel listed her address as the Sailors Return Inn. Witnesses were F.W.G Dodd,  R.J. Wills (Mabel’s father) and A. Turner (Alice; Mabel’s stepsister). Despite the armistice ending the war in November 1918 Robert was still on active duty, so Mabel was duly entered as next of kin on Robert’s army file with her address at the Sailors Inn and she went back home to await the end of the mopping up operations.

Robert was discharged 20 Aug 1919 with the rank of Warrant Officer. He had served in Gallipoli, Egypt, and France, a total of 4 years and 281 days.  Robert and Mabel returned to New Zealand to begin their new life, firstly living at Stoke, with Robert returning to farming and then becoming an orchardist and later moving into Nelson.

The couple had two children; Robert and Keith, born 1920 and 1921. By 1946 they had sold their orchard and were living at 15 Brougham Street, Nelson. Robert was working as a storeman at the Nelson Wharf, and was in the Home Guard during WWII.

15 Brougham Street, Nelson

Mabel Highet née Wills

Mabel died on September 22, 1957, in Nelson, at the age of 70, and Robert died in 1968. both are buried at Marsden Valley Cemetery – Plot 048, Block 02A.

Acknowledgements:
The information and images in this post were kindly shared by Mabel’s grandson Wayne Highet of Auckland,  from the Highet Family Tree on Ancestry. Wayne is my 4th cousin once removed as we share common 4th great grandparents Timothy Lawn and Grace Whitburn. Without Wayne’s work in recording and sharing family photographs and certificates I would not have discovered the new link of New Zealand Lawn descendants.

 

Familiar features – or just friendly faces?

Photographs of family  – we are fortunate to have them, but sometimes identifying them can be problematic as over time they get labelled, lost, re-labelled and mis-interpreted. I have already written about another photograph that was attributed to family member of the same name but a couple of generations apart.  Can we say with exactitude exactly who these people are? Some of these pictures in this post I have doubts about. The historian in me means I tend to use ‘may’ ‘might’  and ‘possibly’ when describing who the subjects may be.

Another privately published book written about the Lawns (Copper to Quartz, 1999) included a photograph of a Lawn family friend – included because there was a name ‘James Lawn’ written on the back (p52). This photograph came from the collection of a descendant of John Lawn living in Australia. Ironically, as soon as I saw the portrait I immediately identified it as the step-son of my third great grandmother Jane Preshaw, who also lived in the small community of Reefton, New Zealand∗. The photograph – a wedding portrait of Charles Makinson Preshaw and his wife Maria Eliza Coombe (née Kittelty), taken in 1909 – was written on the back ‘James Lawn’ because that is who it was to be sent to.   A lesson for amatuer genealogists (which I learnt from making a similar mistake in another family history) is to always research your images!

Friends – not family? Charlie Preshaw and Maria, Reefton 1909. Copper to Quartz incorrectly supposed that the gentleman, if not James Lawn was ‘George’ Preshaw. Photograph original from E. Torney.

Tempting though it is to see a resemblance, one must look for clues and balance with the documentary evidence to establish whether an image is possibly who it is supposed to be, and if it cannot be extablished with certainty, err on the side of caution.

James Lawn, my great great grandfather and his brothers John, George and Henry Lawn were the sons of James Lawn (1812 – 1884) and Jenifer Webster (1817- 1887). The brothers all came to New Zealand, although George returned to England. James senior and Jenifer married in 1836 in the mining township of Lanner, Cornwall. James (snr) was in turn the son of Timothy Lawn (c1780- 1835) and Grace Whitburn (1780-1852).

There are a couple of pictures supposedly of Grace and one of Timothy (and other family), which should be relatively straight forward to confirm – however, these images have passed to me through the hands of Helen Lawn who was given them by another family member, Ena Boyce. Ena was born Ena Gertrude Lawn, (1909-1977), the grandaughter of Henry Lawn. Ena gave several pictures to Helen and they remain in the Helen Lawn Research (HLR) archive which I digitised. They all appear to be reprints of earlier photographs, judging firstly by the death dates of the subjects, and also by the back-stamp of the photographer, which can be dated.

Photography was invented but not available to the general public mostly until after 1840, so this helps us date the images, which are actually later reprints onto the popular carte-de-visite, probably ordered by Henry Lawn before he left home. James was the first to leave home, to travel to Australian goldfields and then the New Zealand goldfields. He returned to Cornwall at least once, more than likely twice, and again came to New Zealand with his younger brothers and cousins. Henry was recorded at Gwennap in the 1861 census, and he married Harriet Richards in 1868. He then went to work in the mines in Dalton on Furness where his first son Charles was born.

Lawn researcher Andrew Saunders writes: “Henry (1845) arrived in Melbourne from Plymouth on 18 August, 1870 in the vessel  “Hampshire”, and relocated to NZ in January, 1871 in the “Omeo”.  On 14 July, 1873 his wife, Harriet E, and son, Charles H, arrived in Wellington, NZ in the vessel “Halcione” –their name shown as “Laun”. Harriet had been living with her brother in Cornwall in the 1871 English census: William Richards and his wife Rosina were also on the Halcione. Henry and Harriet lived at Blackspoint 1873, then Capelston before finally settling at Te Aroha in the North Island. The reprints of family photographs brought to New Zealand were therefore probably made sometime between 1867 and 1873.

The first image is of Timothy Lawn. Timothy was baptised in Gwennap in May 1780 (he may have been born before this) and was buried in November 1835.  This is before civil registration, (July 1837) so all verifying documentation relies on parish records, or legal documents such wills or court records.

Is this “Timothy” Lawn or “William”?

Helen Lawn wrote the details on the back. You can see that someone originally labelled this ‘William’ in pencil. William Lawn was Timothy’s father, and died in 1811 so this cannot possibly be William Lawn. HLR

The next image is supposed to be Timothy’s wife,  Grace Lawn née Whitburn (1780-1852). Unfortunately the large cloak swathing the woman in this and the next image obscures the most accurate dating device, her clothing: necklines, sleeves and waist-lines are quite useful to pin-point dates within a couple of years. The coal-scuttle bonnet with its tight frill inside the brim worn here is an old-fashioned style which was out of fashion in the big cities, but still favoured by women in Cornwall in the mid-19th Century. Certainly, in both images there are similar styles evident: bonnet, leather gloves, cloak, as well as the subject’s piercing blue eyes. But are they the same person?

“Grace Lawn” nee Whitburn taken after 1840 (original may have been a Daguerrotype). If this is Grace (who was born in 1780) she would have been aged around 60 years in 1840; this image looks to be of a younger woman.  HLR

Rear of the early image of Grace, showing the backstamp dates after 1867, and Helen’s notes in ballpoint pen. Note the question mark – this photograph may not be who it seems.

“Grace Lawn” nee Whitburn 1780 – 1852.  This image is more likely to be accurately labeled, although like the one above it has been reprinted as a carte-de-visite and dates from after 1867. The plinth looks to be  similar – but not exactly the same as in the previous photograph. HLR

Identical backstamp shows these two images were almost certainly printed at the same time.

So if these two women are not the same, who might they be? Grace and Timothy had a daughter, also Grace, born in 1805, who married Benjamin Smith in 1828 so they may be mother and daughter – this does not explain why the younger version was reprinted and came to New Zealand in the 1870s.

The next image is supposed of James Lawn (senior) (1812-1884) – but even this is possibly not correct – note the pencil underneath Helen’s ballpoint, and compare to later images.

‘James Lawn’ 1812-1884. HLR

Note ‘Timothy’ written in pencil underneath ‘James Lawn’ HLR

Now we look at James’ wife, Jenifer Ann (1817-1877) (Baptised and in 1881 census as “Jenifer” but married and in all other census as “Jane”). Here we can date her photograph from her dress to about 1869-1870, although older women did not always wear up-to-date fashion.

‘Jennifer Ann Webster’. HLR

But then, let us compare this ‘James’ and ‘Jennifer’ with another photograph, this time from the collection of Peter Lawn in Reefton, son of the late Bob and Lawn and great-grandson of John Lawn (1840 – 1905). This is supposed to be a marriage portrait, but as the couple married in 1836, predating photography, it was taken later. This photograph is interesting for a couple of reasons: the long exposure time of the early photographs can be seen because James moved his hand and gave himself extra fingers! He also seems to be wearing an oddly fitting jacket, with the sleeves too long. Both seem to be wearing their ‘Sunday best’, if not new clothes. Although it is documented that photographers sometimes had a wardrobe of clothing for sitters to wear in the studio, there can be no knowing if this was the case in this isnstance.

James and Jenifer Lawn, c1840-1850. Original held by Peter Lawn

Here are the two James together: The ‘younger’ James, on the right has drooping eyelids, which the ‘older’ James on the left, does not and the younger James mouth seems to be wider – or perhaps it is just the lighting in the studio? Other features to compare/contrast in identifying portraits are: length of top lip, distance between irises, length and breadth of nose, size and shape of ears (obscured here), eyebrows, hairline, jawline. The nose and ears actually continue to grow over time, so must be considered carefully. These two are similar enough to be related, but maybe not enough to be the same person.

Another image, a family group, which was taken before 1879 is of James and Jenifer, and their two youngest children: Arthur (1857-1879) and Sarah Ann (1862-1951).  Did James grow a long beard between 1879 and the photograph above left taken before his death in April 1884?

Lawn Family, before April 1879. HLR.

Looking, and the more you look the more you see. I always remember meeting a Lawn cousin for the first time – looking across a room and seeing a familiar face although we had never met, and that jolt of knowing long before I made my way around the room and read the name-tag. We search photographs for those same familiar traits and feel triumphant when we identify something we can call ‘ours’ – ‘family’.

But always be aware of what you want to see. It is a human trait to seek familiar recognition in the patterns around us, so much so that we see ‘human’ features in clouds and cracks in the pavement, even cast in stone!

And dont always believe what is written on the back of photographs, particularly in ballpoint pen!

∗There is a connection to the Lawn family of the people in this photograph in the convoluted nature of small West Coast communities where everyone knew, was related to, or married everyone else:

• the grandson of Jane Preshaw, my great grandfather Henry David Evans married Eva Lillian Lawn in 1907, and
• her brother Herbert Lawn married Maria’s niece, Alice Kittelty in 1915.
• Maria Eliza Coombe, née Kittelty’s first husband Joseph Knight Coombe was the brother of Mary Elizabeth Coombe, who married John Lawn in Australia in 1873.

Lest we forget

The role that photographs play in fixing people in our minds eye is vital for a family historian. Photographs of forebears are pored over, with each feature compared to those in other photos, to other family members, and to yourself – seeking recognition, belonging, a likeness – and memory, for those recently departed. How often were these photographs clasped close and studied by family shortly after they were taken, as they were, unexpectedly, the last of loved ones?

I have written about my great, great-grandmother, Rachel Lawn née Hart as if I knew her, but of course I was born long after she died – even my own grandmother was too little to remember her as she was under two when Rachel died. All I know of what Rachel was like is from a handful of six or seven photographs that I had been given copies of from across the family, mostly formal family groups and a few stories second and third-hand. Trying to select images for the book, and the requirements of publishing means that a lot of details (and colour and tone) are lost, so when new photos turn up, it is exciting to share them in this medium.

It is now just over a hundred years since Rachel Lawn, née Hart died, aged 57, less than a year after her son Ben was killed in WWI. I now have been given access to several more photographs¹ – most tiny ( 5cm x 3cm ) reprints off scratched negatives and in poor condition. I have edited the images to enhance and repair obvious cracks and stains. These ‘new’ images add a further dimension to what little we know of Rachel – but more importantly these images that were taken in a the space of a year: just before Ben was killed, and just after, and trace the grief that family said broke her heart and sent her to an early grave.

This studio image (which appeared in my book) was taken in Reefton on Ben’s final leave before embarkation and brought together almost all of the Lawn family (except Charlie and George). Along with this original image I also had various group poses: Dinah, Ben and Jim; Ben and John; James and his sons.  I was startled to find that there was another portrait – Rachel with her two daughters Eva and Dinah. It seemed that ‘just the women’ were not as valued as the pictures of the ‘boys’ in uniform which several different family members had copies of.

Lawn Family, Reefton, July 1916:                                                                           Back Left to Right: Dinah McIvor (née Lawn), Ben, Herbert, James, John.
Front L to R: Dorothy McIvor b 26 Nov 1913, Edith Evans, Eva Evans (née Lawn) with baby Eva (b 1 Dec 1915), James ‘Jack’ Lawn, with Henry ‘Harry’ Evans, Jennifer ‘Jean’ Evans, Rachel Lawn.
absent: George Lawn. Charlie Lawn
[Rachel wears a shawl brought back from probably Egypt or Gallipoli by John]

In this portrait of mother and daughters it appears that Dinah is wearing one of Ben’s collar badges (with ‘XIII’ in the centre) at the throat of her blouse, and Rachel too is possibly wearing one of John’s cap badges, it is unclear in both photos whether the flowers on Eva’s blouse are also pinned by a badge.

Mother and daughters: Rachel, Dinah and Eva, 1916

Previously I had only seen one informal photograph of Rachel – this somewhat blurry snapshot taken about 1910 in Blacks Point:

Jim, Rachel, Dinah and Ben, outside their house at Blacks Point

Now another small image taken in summer time – of Rachel and James Lawn with a young woman has come to hand – I am not positive, but judging by the shape of her jaw, this may be Eva Evans née Lawn; I would be interested to hear what others think. How lovely to see Rachel in a relaxed and happy mood, James dapper in his car coat: a vingette of before.

James and Rachel and possibly Eva Evans

The next image I had used in my book was what I thought of as ‘Rachel’s last photo’. In To Live a Long and Prosperous Life, I wrote that this was taken on a visit to see her new grandson.  James and Rachel had travelled to Woodville in the North Island for an extended stay² with George and Doll and their children, the little boy ‘named after his late uncle’ Benjamin. Rachel here is smiling, but looked tired. Her dress, as usual, is dark, but the dull crepe and the complete lack of lace at her throat and her hair pulled back a little more severely suggests that she was wearing mourning clothes: it is likely that the visit was arranged to help Rachel in her deep grief.

James and Rachel with George and Doll,  Olive, Benjamin and Evelyn, 1917

Another photograph – a portrait of Rachel – had been taken around this time (her bow brooch doesnt have the chain in the photo above so possibly not the same day).  Is it my imagination, or does she look resigned – a sadness in her eyes? Perhaps just a result of the poor photographic print, her colour looks high. Blood pressure elevated, overweight, suffering from grief and depression, a few weeks after this on their journey home Rachel was overwhelmed by a stroke which killed her.

Rachel, 1917

Another candid shot – possibly as James and Rachel were about to depart on their homeward journey:

James and Rachel Lawn, Woodville, 1917

Rachel fell ill on the overnight Wellington to Lyttelton ferry and upon berthing she was taken to Lyttelton hospital where she lingered for three days before she died. Family, including her mother Dinah Hansen raced from the Coast to be by her side and others came from afar for her funeral and burial at Lyttelton cemetery.

 

                 Greymouth Evening Star, 24 August 1917                               courtesy Papers Past

George and his family must have travelled down for her funeral and then visited the Coast, because the next snapshot is of James with his grandchildren, possibly at the Evans farm at Waitahu, near Reefton. He holds baby Ben on his lap, on his right is Edith Evans and on his left Jean Lawn. Sitting on two little chairs are George’s daughters Olive and Evelyn Lawn and on the grass at the front are Harry Evans and the only possibility for the curly-haired toddler in the centre is my Nana, Eva Evans (born December 1915).

James Lawn and grandchildren, 1917

The final snap was one that appeared in my book, but I have included here again as it is easier to see (somewhat blurry) detail in this format. I believe that this is taken at George Lawn’s home in Christchurch, where he and his family shifted in the early 1920s. James went to live with them there at Slater Street, Richmond until he died in 1928, and was buried with Rachel in Lyttelton. George’s daughter Olive was living there in the 1960s when I visited and stayed there as a child.

James Lawn in a reflective mood

Peering at these new images, it brings home to me that we take for granted the ability we have today of taking endless digital images of our family, our homes and ourselves, yet we rarely think how they might be available for the future generations. Do you print out photographs? Do you edit or delete images that show the everyday interiors or awkward moments?  The last photograph here is tantalising – if only it was a clear image and we could see more of what is in the background: what is in the picture frame above the fireplace? I have so  many questions about the things in this photograph! Where did the shell come from? What are the porcelain animals? What time was it on the clock?

What matters is that someone thought to keep these pictures, and I hope that somewhere in your family pictures are safely stored (and named and dated!) for the future generations: to remember, lest we forget.

¹ Thanks to Mervyn Lawn for sharing these images.

² Little Benjamin was born 19 October 1916 just four days after the family learned of Ben’s death. In the group picture little Benjamin looks about six months old, and the photo taken after Rachel’s death he would have been 10 months, so if the George Lawn family picture was taken in Woodville James and Rachel were visiting there for several months.

What happened to Ben

. . .as we are the Thirteenth Reinforcements we are doubtless the unlucky ones, according to the superstitious “13”.

Just over a year ago, I travelled across the European farmland that had a hundred years previous reverberated with the sound of mortars and machine guns. I posted here about my great, great-uncle Benjamin Lawn, whose fate was to die and lie buried ‘somewhere’ on the Somme.

On my journey I carried with me a poppy – the symbol that has come to represent the bloodshed and remembrance of the fallen. We in New Zealand wear these on our Remembrance day – Anzac Day – which falls on the 25 April and commemorates our defining moment as a nation at Gallipoli alongside our Australian comrades, although now all battles, including the wars that have followed the Great War are remembered. I had kept this poppy for five months, and carried it across the world for Ben.

Poppy image: Royal British Legion

The poppy, a seemingly fragile flower, nevertheless persevered and came to be the first to bloom again in the mangled farmland: it is a fitting tribute to the fallen. Travelling by high-speed train from Paris to Amsterdam and watching the fields of towering ripe corn shoulder to shoulder in the achingly bright sunshine was surreal: a million light-years away from the horrors that happened here. Seated in plush comfort and sealed behind the train windows meant I could not let that single poppy float to the ground, nor place the poppy anywhere: I kept it safe until we arrived in London later that month, 100 years to the day that Ben was killed.

But what exactly had happened to Ben was something that always eluded me as I wrote To Live a Long and Prosperous Life. Many years ago my mother wrote  to the New Zealand Defence Force, and enquired about what happened to Ben. I remember  seeing the report, and the horror when I realised he had died in the Somme. Yet this report was somehow mislaid and although we both seemed to recall that he was shot, or struck in the head, and that after he was buried the continued bombardment of the area meant his grave was unable to be relocated as all identifying landmarks were obliterated, the frustrating lack of accurate reference material meant that I was unable to write with any accuracy on Ben’s death. Ben’s Army records, now with New Zealand Archives, like other records, does not provide much to confirm or elaborate on his fate.

Papers Past has now filled in the gaps, with further releases of digitised newspapers. For the following excerpts I owe a debt of gratitude to the sleuthing skills of my cousin Peter Walker for providing this information. Peter also contributed significantly to Live Long and Prosper with his research on Ben’s brother John Lawn’s WWI service at Gallipoli.

The first excerpt is from a letter printed in the Greymouth Evening Star on 5th October, 1916. The letter was written two months earlier by Ben on 5 August – he had died on the 27 September. Just one week after this letter appeared in print his parents received notification of his death on the evening of the 12 October and his name was published in the Roll of Honour on Saturday 14 October.

Here, then, is Ben’s final letter home captioned by the newspaper as “Salisbury Plain Camp – A Reefton Boy’s Experiences”:

 

We have been in this camp since Wednesday week. At Plymouth all the people belonging to the place were at the station to see us.   They treated us well, giving buns and tea and plenty of it.  The Mayor of Exeter sent us a big bag of cakes each, with a card on each, on which was his name, and wished us a safe return.   We arrived at camp at about eight o’clock at night, and the first one that I met whom I knew was Andy McIvor. [Ben’s sister Dinah Lawn had married Sim McIvor, Andy’s younger brother, in 1912) When he saw me he said I had no right to be here.  He has not been to France yet.  I have been mess orderly and have not done any drill.  I hope they won’t keep me back from Ralph and all the boys on account of not doing drill.  We were supposed to have been off for the front seven days from when we landed, but owing to an outbreak of measles on our steamer, the Willochra we have been isolated for 16 days.  We had about 150 cases, and as we are the Thirteenth Reinforcements we are doubtless the unlucky ones, according to the superstitious “13”.   We get leave for three days and most of the boys are going to London.  I will, I think go to Cornwall to see Dorothy. [Dorothy James (born 1894), Ben’s cousin, daughter of his aunt Sarah née Lawn]  I expect to get there in about eight hours.   The distance is about 400 miles, and the trains do go some.  We travel at half rates.

We are not tied down so much here as we were at Trentham – we can go anywhere we like within a radius of five miles without a pass.   We can travel by motor, but not by train.   Ralph and I went for a walk and we got into some big fields and lost out bearings, and we did not arrive until ten o’clock at night.  We had to be in not later than 9.30 so we had to go before the commanding officer.  Nearly all my mates have joined the machine gun section.  They wanted me to join, but I think the infantry will do me.

Alas, the Infantry was to well and truly ‘do’ for Ben.

It was not until many months later that word was received about his fate, underlining how the not knowing must have compounded the grief for family and friends back home and how it was that ‘private’ letters and scraps of information were shared by the publication in the newspapers of “OUR SOLDIERS LETTERS” – the collective noun emphasising the sense of the entire community – and country’s involvement in this Great War.

In the first week of January 1917 William Nicholas (14141), who had been a driver for a carter on Buller Road, Reefton when he enlisted, wrote to his sister, (Mrs Rix of Greymouth) from “Somewhere in France”. This was a welcome letter, received nearly two months later, as he had previously been reported killed, instead of just seriously wounded.

Our company came out of the trenches a couple of days before Christmas.   We are billeted in a nice little town, and are having a good time.  Our Christmas dinner was a good one.  It consisted of roast pork, plenty of vegetables, and an ample supply of plum pudding.  All the Reefton boys were together.  Minehan, of Cobden, was with us.  He was not hurt, as you suppose, but is still going strong.  Among our company were Steve Hocking [Blacks Point neighbours of the Lawns, survived the war] and Pal McMasters. The former, having a job at headquarters, is done with fighting for a while.  Anyhow, he deserves a spell.  He has come right through the campaign without getting a smack.  Pal McMasters is in the band.  I have not met Jim Hannah, of Boddytown, but am on the lookout for him.  Our brigade was relieved for Christmas and New Year holidays, after a long spell in the trenches, and it was up to us to enjoy ourselves a little. 

Ben Lawn, of Black’s Point, was not with us. He, poor fellow, was killed while charging the enemy.  A piece of shell struck him on the back of the neck.  His death was sudden, but painless. 

It is a terrible experience to be under continuous fire.   Not much credence can be attached to the words of those who say they like it.   Those who talk that way have not seen much fighting.  I have been in No Man’s Land frequently, small companies having to lie down flat for six consecutive hours on the enemy’s wire entanglements, armed with revolvers, bayonets, and bombs; snow on the ground, and the night bitterly cold.  At present we are in the rear seven miles from the front trenches, drilling and route marching all the time.  There are many casualties from stray shells, but it is preferable to the front trenches.  Building dug-outs, and other kinds of work also has to be done.  Indeed, more men are hit in the fatigue parties than the front-line trench, but it is better for the reason that we can occasionally get to town at night.   One of Fritz’s aeroplanes will come over and discover some working parties; Fritz receives the report, the result being that the big guns are put on the spot.  Of course we do the same.  The efforts of the Huns to bring down our aeroplanes are often watched by our men with hilarious laughter and shouts of derision.  They will fire 200 shells without a hit.   Sometimes we have some close shaves.   Our chaps say, jokingly, that they would like to get a “blighty” – meaning a smack – just mild enough to be sent to England.  But they cannot be taken seriously, if one is to judge by the manner in which they race for cover when the shells are falling.

We are holding a very quiet part of the line now. The Somme advance, made by our boys a while back, was a hell upon earth.  The experience was a rough one.  It was in the very place where we are now that the Australians got chopped up terribly.  We relieved them when we took over these lines.  They advanced and took Fritz’s two front lines.  But Fritz was cunning.  He let a big dam go in the vicinity, flooding the trenches just occupied by the Australians, and as they clamoured out like drowned rats, Fritz turned his machine guns and shrapnel on them.  Even now dozens of them still lie out in No Man’s Land.  We send out parties frequently.  Forming one of these parties, I have had many peculiar encounters with Fritz.  One night we dispatched two Germans sitting on their own wire.  This was done through stealthily creeping along in the stillness of the night.  Our retreat to our own lines was very hasty and accomplished before Fritz in the trenches had time to recover.

Our rations are good. Porridge in the morning and bacon; good stew for dinner, and bread and butter and cheese or jam for tea.   In addition, if desired, plenty of tinned meat.  In the trenches a pair of clean sox are issued to us every morning.  In conclusion, I think we will all be home for next Xmas.   The Germans are beaten.  Lately the French have been giving them something to go with.   I hope to get a look at Paris before my return.  Reefton friends will excuse me for not having time to write.

(Greymouth Evening News, 3 March 1917)

Although Nicholas was nearly 10 years older than Ben it is clear that all the Reefton lads serving knew each other well, as later in the year he again touches on the death of Ben in one of his published letters home. (Nicholas survived the war and returned home in 1919, he died in Auckland in 1959).

Touching the death of Private Ben Lawn, a letter from Private Nicholas to his Greymouth relatives says he was talking to one who was near him when hit. It was during the advance at the Somme that Ben was hit. He dropped and never moved.  The writer does not know whether he was hit with a bullet or a piece of shell, but he was killed outright.  The boys were going to over to take a Hun trench, but on the way Ben was hit in the neck, and immediately sank.  This would be about September 27th.  . . Private Nicholas and his friends are still going strong, the latter wishing to be remembered to all friends.

(Greymouth Evening Star, 28th June 1917)

In September 2016, on the periphery of Hyde Park, under some leafy trees just beginning to lose their leaves in the stifling heat of late summer we stumbled upon a memorial to all the animals who have died in British warfare: from pigeons, dogs, to horses and even elephants, here represented in sculpture by two bronze donkeys, labouring to a carry a small cannon and cases of ammunition. Hugely moving, this memorial signals that so many men relied on their beasts of burden, yet their vital role is often over-looked. I tucked what I had come to think of as ‘Ben’s  poppy’ into bronze of one of the humble little donkeys, and left it there with the cacophony of the traffic wending its way around Hyde Park, and the hub-bub of shoppers pressing down near-by Oxford Street oblivious to the frozen tableau of the donkey, his shoulders straining forward, his head lifted, in eternaldetermination, as he steps up to serve.

An inscription on the wall reads:

“They had no choice”

 

UPDATE:

Recently I learned from a family member who visited that Ben’s medals are in the repository at The National Army Museum Te Mata Toa, at Waiouru.

Benjamin Webster Lawn’s medals. Image courtesy of National Army Museum (New Zealand)

I wrote to enquire about them, and the whereabouts of his ‘Dead Man’s Penny’ which was sent to the next-of-kin of fallen soldiers. I recieved this reply from them:

Dear Cynthia

The medals of Benjamin Webster Lawn are currently on display in our Medal Repository. He received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. I have attached a photo. We do not have his Memorial Plaque, though.

The medals were donated in 1984 but I am afraid it is not our policy to release details regarding donors.

I would be intrigued to know if anyone knows who had the medals and subsequently donated them.

 

Mothers Day

Postcard sent by Rachel Lawn (nee Hart) to her daughter Eva and new son-in-law Harry Evans shortly after their marriage in 1907. (see below for the reverse). From the collection of postcards originally belonging to Eva Lawn and Harry (Henry David) Evans sent whilst courting and after their marriage.

It seems only right that on Mothers Day we recognise that without our mothers, and foremothers, we wouldn’t be here today. I am sharing here a post I made on Facebook several years ago which resonated with many people:

Our mother’s, mother’s mother’s have said  the same, same, same over the generations.  How far back do some of these go?

The mundane and the everyday. The person who is always there, the punctuation of our childhood daydreams and fancies with the admonitions and advice.

Meals cooked, clothes washed, floor swept. ‘Lick the spoon’, ‘Pick the currants’, ‘Top and tail the gooseberries’, ‘Stir the jam’, ‘Pop out and see if the mail has arrived’.

‘Don’t lick your knife’. ‘Eat your crusts’, ‘No pudding until you eat your greens’, ‘Take the one closest too you’. ‘Who’s been into the lollie jar?’

The tears dried, the hurt kissed better, the calm hand on a troubled brow. The ‘Never mind – it won’t kill you’ and: ‘What’s the worst that can happen? – they can’t shoot you’. ‘If you are going to be sick, you can stay in bed’ (no reading under the covers) ‘Lights out’. ‘Don’t forget to wash behind your ears’.

The reminders to mind our manners, ‘Stand up straight’, ‘Don’t gabble’, ‘Say please and thank you’, ‘Don’t answer back’. ‘Say ‘pardon me’’. ‘Beggars can’t be choosers’. ‘Do up your laces and don’t scuff your feet’.

‘Learn your spelling’, ‘Have you practised your music?’ ‘Don’t forget to walk the dog’, ‘Feed the cat’ and ‘Put a cardy on, your mother’s feeling cold’. ‘A nice cup of tea and a lie down’. ‘Go and tell Dad: tea’s ready’.  ‘Little pigs have big ears’. ‘Give me hand’, ‘Off you go outside and play’, ‘Hop up to the table and sit down’.

‘Go back and walk’, ‘Clear up this mess’, ‘Get back into bed’, ‘Don’t sniff’. ‘Listen quietly while I tell you a story’, ‘Goodnight sleep tight don’t let the bed-bugs bite’, ‘I love you’.

I love you too, Mum.

“. . . I am so lonely without you . . .”

Pro patria mori*

*  second line from the phrase beginning  Dulce Et Decorum Est -Wilfred Owen’s gas poem.

September 15 2016 marks the 100 year anniversary of the Somme Offensive. This post details the involvement of  just one of Dinah’s grandsons and grand nephews who served in the Great War. What must it have been like as a grandmother and mother to see these young men go off to war, to feel the grief and worry of your daughters as they farewelled their boys? This is the story of one who never returned.

Benjamin on his mother Rachel’s lap in 1897 (part of a group photograph that included Sarah’s family, the older boy is  Ernest Lawn, son of Sarah and Thomas)

Ben from a group photo taken c1905

Ben and brother James at Blacks Point school

At Dinah and Sim McIvor’s marriage in 1912

Ben at brother Herbert Lawn’s wedding, 1915

Private Benjamin Webster Lawn

2418, 5ft 4½, 8st (64 kg), with ‘clear complexion, light blue eyes’ and ‘black hair’ signed up at Reefton on the fifth of February 1916; passed fit on the sixth February, sailed from Greymouth on the ninth and two days later he was in Trentham where he attested on 11 February 1916.

Ben Lawn was the second youngest son of James and Rachel. He had grown up in Black’s Point, with the sound of the great stamper battery ringing in his ears, a tease of his older sister Dinah and playmate of younger brother Jim. The three youngest children of James and Rachel played together, and went to school together. With dark curly hair Ben had the look of his mother Rachel, and he had grown tall as he reached his teens. Leaving school he headed to the inevitable job at the stamper as battery hand, working for the Consolidated Gold Mining Company. He kept fit like his brothers playing rugby and even joined his friends one Easter weekend cycling the Buller Gorge to Westport on his brother Charles’ bike.

Ben’s army record suggests he had high spirits in training, with two misdemeanours recorded, over staying leave: forfeit three days’ pay and bringing liquor into camp. The last meant he forfeited any leave and remained confined to camp before embarkation on Troopship No.35 Willochra which left Wellington on 21 May 1916.

James and Rachel Lawn family about April 1916

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Two months and six days later they arrived in Devonport, on 26 of July 1916, and two days after that he marched into Sling camp where he was attached to the British Expeditionary Force – France, 1st Infantry Battalion 2nd Company of the Canterbury Regiment. After a short, sharp, shock of drills and exercises, the young men who had arrived in high spirits had been transformed to a disciplined and focused unit, ready to face the enemy. One month after arriving in England on 28 August they were hardened up enough to be on their way to the front in France. The following day they arrived at the NZEF Depot at Etaples, near Calais where Ben joined the 1st Battalion Canterbury Regiment and was posted to the new 13th Company on 8 September.

The company went into the Somme, where the offensive had begun on 1 July. The British and Allies were trying to retake an area that the Germans had occupied for some time. What was once rolling farmland, woods, quarries and cellars in farms and villages disguised machine gun posts, and the ground was heavily entrenched. The Germans were in strong fortified bunkers, some double storied underground and trenches protected by vast beds of barbed wire some 40 yards (metres) deep. Bare ground was frequently mined, prolonged gun and artillery fire had blasted trees and shredded vegetation, pockmarked the fields and buildings had become an alien landscape. Air reconnaissance was used to see the enemy trench systems and to plan attacks, with various trenches and posts named as ‘alleys’, ‘lanes’ and also local roads, buildings and rivers in a confusing tangle of battleground that is hard to comprehend from the official written account: even the maps appear confusing to the novice. At points in the melee men frequently lost track of their battalion and with reinforcements and regrouping it was not until much later that they would find men were ‘missing’.

On the first day of battle in July over 60,000 British troops were killed or wounded. The offensive continued over the next two months, with little ground taken. The third ‘big push’ began on 15 September, in which the British used tanks for the first time. The rain began on the second day. On 25 and 27 September the third phase was begun with the New Zealand Division involved in attacks at Morval and Thiepval Ridge.

The official account of the Canterbury Battalion details how Ben’s regiment prepared for the attack near Longueval. At about 8 pm three companies of the 2nd Canterbury Battalion who had been detailed to be sent into battle emerged from their trenches and lined up on the road. Half an hour later they began to advance, silently creeping up until they were finally seen, 50 yards from the enemy line. Under rifle and machine-gun fire the troops rushed the German trench Goose Alley and captured it.

The mission was reasonably successful and they captured prisoners and machine guns, yet a few hours later the enemy made a ‘determined counter attack’ and the Allies were pushed back, only to then surge forward again. Such was the nature of battle in the Somme—forward and back, rush forward with bayonets, lose a trench, scramble and snare in acres of barbed wire, gain another trench. Exhausted, the company was relieved from the front line, but they were not given much rest, instead they were detailed to try and repairthe roads around Thistle Dump.

The ‘weather was wet’ was an understatement. The rain poured and the chalk ground was rotten: churned, muddy and waterlogged. Trenches were deep in water, uniforms and boots were wet through. After several days at this difficult task, on the night of 24-25 September the Brigade relieved the 3rd (Rifle) Brigade in the front line, with orders to take part in the Fourth Army’s attack the following day. This took place just after midday, and met slight opposition, and a few casualties. The line was moving forward, and the next forward push was about to be made.

For once, the rain had stopped, and as one account described, the weather was glorious, and was excellent for aviation work. First the artillery bombarded the enemy, and then a creeping barrage, with artillery fire moving forward in increments and the troops followed behind—although sometimes the troops were too enthusiastic, got too far ahead or the creeping barrage was off range and men were killed by ‘friendly fire’. The men were ordered over the top at 2.15 pm on 27 September. It was overcast and rainy: the fine weather had not lasted. The 1st Canterbury Battalion advanced behind the barrage, with the 12th and 13th (Ben’s Company) in that first wave. The official account concludes the description of this offensive:
The attacking company was held up for a short while by bombers and machine-guns; but the latter were silenced by our Lewis gunners, and all the objectives of the battalion were captured by 2.38 pm, with slight casualties.

Ben was killed in action on 27 September 1916, probably going ‘over the top’. He was aged 20 years, one of the ‘slight’ casualties. The Allies had advanced one mile on their last position. Behind them lay 50 square miles (130km2) of devastated land. By the end of the offensive the line had only advanced 5 miles (8km) into enemy held territory. Country roads ceased to exist as chalky waterlogged soil crumbled under heavy machinery; replacement artillery, troops, supplies all had to traverse the mess that had once been productive farmland. Ahead lay miles of equally soulless land. One hundred years on, the words: ‘The Somme’ still conjures unimaginable horror and loss.

When this battle ended the 2nd Canterbury Battalion counted 33 officers and 713 men killed, wounded and missing. Ben’s burial was recorded by the OCDGR E (Officer Commanding of the Directorate of Graves Registration and Enquiries), as Reference number 21836 B as having been performed by A.H. Cullen, attached to South African [Infantry?].

Those who died in No Man’s Land were often never identified: as they fell into the mud their bodies became obliterated by the on-going battle. Dog tags were perishable and in the wet, uniforms rotted. Nevertheless there are still human remains being discovered and identified in the twenty-first century. However, soldiers who, like Ben, were seen to be killed were probably buried by their comrades close to where they fell, perhaps in part of a trench, in a shell hole or a hurriedly dug grave, perhaps with one or two others, their dog tags removed and passed to an officer in command.

A telegram was prepared, addressed to Mrs R. Lawn, Black’s Point: she was noted as next of kin (mother) in his military file. Nearly two and a half weeks later Rachel and James received the dreaded black bordered telegram from the Ministry of Defence advising them of Ben’s death. The news spread quickly to his sisters and brothers, aunt and grandmother, as well as friends and neighbours—everyone in the community knew the boys who were away serving. The family reeled with disbelief that their Ben was not going to be coming home. He was just a lad.

The date of his death was what everyone turned to: what were they doing that fateful day? It was a Wednesday. Carrying on their work-day lives far away, while Ben heard the crack of rifle fire, the sudden thud as the bullet hit, the oblivion as he fell lifeless into the mud, the sounds of mortar and gunfire thundering on.

Although a grave reference is recorded on the Defence Force file, it was not until the following year that the bodies of soldiers in their temporary graves could be re-interred in appropriate cemeteries, the difficult task carried out by the British V Corps. The battle that had raged over the ground where Ben had been buried was to totally destroy the landscape and identifying features—his grave was never found. This was perhaps the hardest thing for his family to imagine: the boy from Black’s Point alone in the cold dark ground on the other side of the world. No funeral, with comforting rituals to help the grieving, no headstone for family to visit. A few lines in the newspaper under ‘Casualties’ and then: gone.

1500 New Zealanders were killed on the Somme. Most of them, 1272, remained unidentified and are buried in unmarked graves or remembered on memorial walls. Benjamin Webster Lawn is remembered on the Commonwealth War Grave Memorial at Caterpillar Valley, Longueval. White headstones lined up with military precision, enclosed in rectangular grounds, surrounding by rolling fenceless farm fields and a few trees creates a peaceful oasis in contrast to what it was like when Ben the boy from Reefton was there.

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Ben is also memorialised on his mother’s headstone in Lyttelton cemetery. Rachel Lawn nee Hart died just over a year later, the family believed, of a broken heart.

Benjamin Webster Lawn memorial on Rachel Lawn headstone, Lyttelton Cemetery

Rachel Elizabeth Lawn, Lyttelton cemetery (stone since collapsed after 2011 earthquakes)

 

(excerpts 327-29 Chapter 15 The Great War To Live a Long & Prosperous Life)

Lawn Cousins

The families of James Lawn and Thomas Lawn are almost as bewildering as the Hart and Nathan families and their repeated names. James’s father was also named James, as was his father before him making three James Lawn in different generations. Our James was often called ‘Jack’—at least when he was older—perhaps a reference to the moniker ‘Cousin Jack’ as Cornishmen were often called. James, John and Henry Lawn were double cousins to Thomas and Edmund Lawn.

After the adventures on the Otago goldfields and his return to Cornwall, James soon returned to Australia with his brother George and their cousin, Thomas Lawn. Thomas and James were double cousins: their respective fathers James and John Lawn had married sisters Jenifer (Jane) and Ann Webster.

The cousins left Liverpool on 2 January 1863, on board the record-breaking iron-hulled ss Great Britain, a great marvel of the age, another of Brunel’s successful designs. They arrived 90 days later in April 1863 in Melbourne, and went to join James’ brother John working in the Copper mines at Moonta, on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. Many Cornish miners (including Webster cousins) had congregated there in the three towns of Moonta, Kadina and Wallaroo which gained the epithet of The Copper Triangle or ‘Little Cornwall’. In 1927 the Sun reporter summed up James movements in the following years:

Six months of England were enough for James and he returned to Australia and then came again to New Zealand in 1863. Two years later he went to the West coast, in the Hokitika gold rush, and spent a number of years there, and at Reefton, working in the quartz mines.

Thomas Lawn 1842-1902

Thomas Lawn was born on the 27 March 1842 in Penance , and baptised on the 14 April in Gwennap. He appears on the 1851 census in Penance with his family, including his baby brother Edmund who also eventually to make his home in Blacks Point, New Zealand.

Thomas was taller than his cousin and had light brown curly hair – later it was snowy white. When he came to Australia with his older cousin James they were not to know that eventually they would cross the Tasman and find ‘The best looking girls on the Coast’ in Greymouth: the Hart sisters, and eventually marry them, settle down and raise large families.

Sarah Hart and Thomas Lawn, 1876

Thomas Lawn, like his cousin James, became a quartz mine manager in Reefton. Like his wife Sarah Thomas was a singer and often contributed to entertainment in social gatherings. Thomas built the family home on the Terrace in Reefton not long after their marriage. The combined Lawn families were photographed on the verandah in 1901 when Thomas and Sarah’s son Albert was married to Harriet Noble.

13 November 1901, Reefton.

Back L to R standing on verandah: Mr and Mrs Noble, Mary ‘Polly’ Lawn (b 1879 – daughter of Edmund & Sarah), Eva Scoltock, Benjamin Hart, Thomas Lawn, Dinah and Charles Hansen, Jack Noble, Victor Lawn. At Right, in front of Jack and Victor: Norman Lawn, Liz (née Noble) and Bill Patterson and Rev. York.

Front: James and Rachel Lawn, Ida Hart, Emily Lawn (b 1882, Polly’s sister), Sarah Lawn with Ida, Albert and Harriet. In front of Liz and Bill Patterson: Emma Noble, Esther Lawn, Ernest Lawn, Tom and Jack Noble.

Image: HLR NB some of the names on the back of this copy in HLR are incorrectly attributed and have been corrected here.

The house still stands today.

A grandchild marries

The extended Hart and Lawn families gathered together in Reefton for an exciting occasion; the first of Dinah’s grandchildren, Albert Lawn, 23, second son of Sarah and Thomas was to marry 23 year old Harriet Noble. The wedding took place in late spring, on 13 November 1901. Harriet had been born in South Canterbury to Joseph and Sarah Noble. The dashingly handsome Albert had become a successful hairdresser and tobacconist in Reefton.

            With everyone dressed in their Sunday best, Thomas and Sarah Lawn’s family, along with James and Rachel Lawn, Dinah and Charles Hansen, Benjamin and Ida Hart, and Harriet’s family assembled on the verandah of Thomas and Sarah’s house on the Terrace, Reefton for a family portrait: the men in suits with flowers at the lapel, the women with hats trimmed with feathers and flowers, some looking like birds about to take flight. The boys wear knickerbockers, Eton suits and sailor hats, the little girls swamped in white pinafores and bonnets. Sarah bends forward to keep her youngest daughter Ida still for the photograph. Everyone else waits patiently, squinting a bit in the sun.

            It was to be the last family group photograph that included Thomas Lawn. Less than a year later he was to die in Reefton on 14 June 1902 aged 60. He and Sarah had been married for 25 years. Thomas had suffered from pulmonary phthisis for three years. Commonly known as miner’s phthisis, this was lungs diseased from years of breathing in quartz dust. Thomas’s life ended with a fatal hemorrhage. Mercifully his death was quick, unlike others who lingered days after the initial sudden loss of blood, but nevertheless traumatic for those close to him who witnessed his final collapse.

            Thomas was buried on 14 June at the Reefton Suburban Cemetery at Burkes Creek on Buller Road. Oddly, his headstone faces away from the central pathway. It consists of a cross and roses, although it lies broken; probably damaged after an earthquake. Thomas had made his will in Greymouth in May 1889, simply leaving everything in his estate to his wife Sarah.

excerpt p 286 To Live a Long & Prosperous Life

Thomas Lawn death certificate filed with probate

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Thomas Lawn and Sarah Hart, James Lawn and Rachel Hart children and their families share a combination of the Lawn and Webster, Hart and Nathan strengths and passions. From the combination of Cornish and Jewish genes come a long line of tenacious and hardworking folk. Extraordinary achievers: miners, internationally renowned geologists, doctors, teachers, singers and musicians, writers and academics, including brain surgeons, reserve bank economists, nuclear physicists, university lecturers – and one or two published authors. Chutzpah and the gift of the gab. What an inheritance.