Died
1 July 1916
Born
30 July 1893 in Australia
Sources
Ancestry
CWGC
Bedford School Memorial website
Find a Grave
Place
Walks
Themes
Second Lieutenant A F D Anderson
A striking memorial with clean lines. The grave story leads to an interesting set of relationships.
Where is the grave?
Take the path down from the left of the crematorium, and keep walking down the hill. At the bottom of the hill, turn right, and the Anderson grave is rather isolated just to the right of the path.
In memory of Florence Elizabeth Anderson who died August 25th 1925 aged 65 years, devoted wife of Arthur W. H. Anderson who died March 12th 1919 aged 58 years. Also their two sons A. F. D. Anderson killed in action July 1st 1916 aged 22 years and D. W. H. Anderson who died September 23rd 1918 aged 36 years also Claude Outram Dalgairns Anderson who died August 22nd 1937 Aged 49 years (see below)
The Barrow News Saturday 15 July 1916:
BARROW OFFICER REPORTED MISSING
COLONEL’S HIGH TRIBUTE
Much sympathy is extended to Mrs. Anderson, 12, Park-avenue, in the distressing news she has received concerning her youngest son. This young officer, Second-Lieut. A. F. D. Anderson, aged 22, prior to the outbreak of war was engaged at Messrs. Vickers’ works, and subsequently he obtained a commission in the Lancashire Fusilier Regiment, and for some time was in training in Barrow. He has seen service in Gallipoli, and for ten weeks he was in residence in hospital suffering from frost-bitten feet. Latterly he has been on active service in France, and he was one of those who took a foremost part in the present advance. The latest news is a wire from the Secretary of the War Office, to the effect that Second-Lieut. Anderson has been missing since July 1st, and believed to be killed. The Colonel of the regiment also writes:- Second-Lieut. Anderson is reported missing, believed killed, and I am writing to express my deepest sympathy with you. All the time your son served under me in this battalion he proved himself to be a good officer, brave and hard-working, and he always set his men a fine example. On the 1st July he led some reinforcements over a parapet, and was hit very soon by machine-gun fire, and some of the men say that he was killed. It is impossible to get accurate statements from them. There are a great many killed and wounded all around. We searched for three nights, but he, like many others, was not found.
The CWGC website lists 40 Andersons killed on 1st July 1916. Arthur Furneaux Dalgairns (Dalgaims on CWGC) Anderson is identified as the son of Mr. A. W. H. and Florence E. Anderson, of 12, Park Avenue, Barrow-in-Furness. Native of Australia. He is buried (which suggests that his body was found) at Beaumont-Hamel British Cemetery.
1st July 1916 was the first day of the Battle of the Somme. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Somme
Throughout Ancestry there is confusion over how to spell Arthur’s names. For example, his Australian christening record has him as Arthur Furneand Dalgainus Anderson, and his mother as Norma Elizabeth Anderson. This event took place at Clarence, New South Wales on 8 June 1894, with a given birth date of 30 July 1893.
DWH Anderson: There is reference to Trooper D W H Anderson on Ancestry participating in the 1911 Delhi Durbar for the Surma Valley Light Horse. He is possibly 201040 Highland Light Infantry died 25 September 1918
This must be a relative, given the unusual shared name: Dalgairns Outram Anderson was a member of the Australian Armed Forces, a Sergeant in 3rd Division Salvage Company Australian Army Services Corps (Service No 4971) who was killed on 16 July 1918 aged 26 and is buried at La Neuville British Cemetery, Corbie, France. He set sail from Sydney on 5 June 1916 H.M.A.T. A55 Kyarra, as part of the 13th Reinforcements.
Again on Ancestry, the National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) for 1925 has ANDERSON Florence Elizabeth of Sydney New South Wales Australia and 12 Park-avenue Barrow-in-Furness Lancashire widow died 25 August 1925 at 12 Park-avenue Probate London 3 October to Claude Outrim Dalgairns Anderson gentleman and Francis Maxwell Best solicitor. Effects £338 1s. 4d.
Florence’s husband Arthur is buried in Stone Cemetery, Dartford, Kent. He died on 21st March 1919, not the 12th as stated on his wife’s grave. His grave also mentions the two sons: AFD Anderson and DWH Anderson, with the added information that DWH Anderson was in the Surma Valley Light Horse, Parkal Tea Estate, Assam, India.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30088133
Arthur William Hall Anderson had married Florence Elizabeth Mann, second daughter of Samuel Furneaux Mann, solicitor, at Christ Church Pre-Cathedral, Ballarat on December 19th, 1883. (The Sydney Mail, on Ancestry).
Claude Outram Dalgairns Anderson was gazetted Temp. 2nd Lieut. Motor Machine Gun Corps, in the London Gazette of 3 June 1916. He won the Military Cross in the Birthday Honours of 1916. The UK Mechanical Engineers Register says that he became an Associate Member on 22 August 1922. He is listed as the Assistant Works Manager, Locomotive, Carriage & Wagon Dept., Furness Railway, Barrow in Furness. His DoB was 15 October 1887. Accordingto National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) for 1937, COD Anderson, of 140 Shardlow Road, Alvaston, Derbyshire, died on 22 August 1937 in Dalton in Furness. He left £1170 to his widow, Ethel May Anderson.
