Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Portsmouth Naval Memorial | Hampshire | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.128 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 10D GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Son of James and Mary Lindsay, of Ireland; husband of Rosey Lindsay, of 3, Fyning St., Landport, Portsmouth.History in Portsmouth - Tim Backhouse. "There is only one direct connection between George Lawrence and Portsmouth and that comes in the 1911 census. Even then he doesn't appear in person, but his wife and son do.
Prior to his marriage to Rose Clare (maiden name unknown), George Lawrence had spent most of his life, after leaving Ireland where he was born, in the Royal Navy. As such he would have known Portsmouth as well as any sailor but he didn't begin living there until around 1908.
The 1911 census records Rose Clare at 3 Fyning Street, Landport with a varied household including her mother Elizabeth Harriett Kent, step-son Charles Alma Rowe and her son James Charles Lindsay. All apart from Elizabeth who came from Portsmouth were born at St. Martins on Jersey. George Lawrence was also found in Portsmouth but in his case he was aboard HMS Superb in Portsmouth Harbour.
George Lawrence must have left the navy soon after the 1911 census as the entry in the National Roll tells that he enlisted in 1914 at the outbreak of the Great War which can be assumed to mean he was called from the reserve."
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: HMS Good Hope |
Class and type: Drake-class armoured cruiser Tons burthen: 14,100 tons Length: 529.5 ft (161.4 m) overall 515 ft (157 m) at waterline Beam: 71 ft (22 m) Draught: 28 ft (8.5 m) maximum Propulsion: 43 coal-fired Belleville boilers providing steam for two 4-cylinder triple expansion steam engines, twin screws. 30,000 ihp Speed: 23 knots (43 km/h) maximum Range: 7,000 nautical miles at 14 knots (26 km/h) Complement: 900 Armament: 2 x BL 9.2-inch (233.7 mm) guns in single turrets 16 x BL 6-inch (152.4 mm) Mk VII guns in casemates along hull 12 x 12 pounder guns 3 x 3 pounder guns Two 18-in (457mm) submerged torpedo tubes. Director fire control fitted in 1905-1906. Armour: 11.5 ft wide 6 inch belt amidships thinning to 3 in at bow 6 in barbettes 6 in turrets 12 in conning tower |
| Action : Coronel |
The Battle of Coronel took place on 1 November 1914 off the coast of central Chile near the city of Coronel. German Kaiserliche Marine forces led by Vice-Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee met and defeated a Royal Navy squadron commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock. Although Spee had an easy victory, destroying two enemy armoured cruisers for just three men injured, the engagement also cost him half his supply of ammunition, which it was impossible to replace.
Shock at the British losses led to an immediate reaction and the sending of more ships which in turn destroyed Spee and his squadron at the Battle of the Falkland Islands. Two British armoured cruisers, HMS Monmouth and HMS Good Hope were sunk with the loss of nearly 1600 men.
HMS Monmouth participated in the Battle of Coronel off the coast of Chile on 1 November 1914. Outmatched and with an inexperienced crew, she was quickly overwhelmed, being unable to use many of her guns due to the stormy weather. Early in the battle, a 21 cm (8.2 inch) shell from SMS Gneisenau penetrated the armour of the forward 6 inch gun turret, destroying it and causing a massive fire on the forecastle. More serious hits followed, and she soon could no longer hold her place in the line of battle. When it was clear that Monmouth was out of action, Gneisenau shifted fire to HMS Good Hope. A short while later, drifting and on fire, Monmouth was attacked by the newly arrived light cruiser SMS Nurnberg which fired seventy-five 10.5 cm (4.1 inch) shells at close range.
H.M.S. Good Hope was sunk along with HMS Monmouth by the German armoured cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau under Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee with the loss of her entire complement of 900 hands. She was an armoured cruiser manned by a crew of reservists and cadets and was the flag ship of Rear Admiral Sir Christopher Craddock commanding a squadron of ageing ships. There were no survivors.
Monmouth and Good Hope both sank with a combined loss of 1,570 lives. There was no survivor from either ship. In total 33 Freemasons lost their lives at the Battle of Coronel. A Memorial to Rear Admiral Sir Christopher Craddock is to be found in York Minster.
Detail :
76607 George Lawrence LINDSAY, Chief Stoker, HMS Good Hope.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Royal Sussex No. 491 E.C. | Jersey |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
24th August 1903 | 28th September 1903 | 26th October 1903 |
The masonic record shows that George was a 32 year old Petty Officer, Royal Navy at the time of his initiation in 1903, in Jersey. No war service recorded in the contribution record but he is shown, "Killed in Action Nov 1914."
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley