Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Grave: | Suez War Memorial Cemetery | C.20 | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.131 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 22D GQS | |
| 4. Memorial: | Liverpool Masonic Hall War Memorial | Col.3. Hope St. | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Early Life :
Detail from this legend is taken from multiple sources including Ormerod.net.John was born in West Derby in 1868, and was the son of John Ormerod and Eleanor Ormerod. He married Ada Lucy Davies at St Augustine Church, Everton, in 1898, and at the time of the 1911 Census had four daughters: Muriel, Edna, Beryl and Olga.
On 9 May 1910 John is recorded on the crew list of the Saxonia, serving as a Steward. The list shows that he was previously employed on the ill-fated Lusitania, leaving her on 6 May 1910.
In 1911 he is shown on the Census working as a Ship's Steward with the Cunard Line.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: HMS Hungerford (RFA) |
| Action : Naval Campaign |
Naval Campaign is defined as to include all sea operations where attrition rates are in ones and twos and which do not fall within specific naval battles such as Jutland, Coronel, Falklands etc. This includes Merchant Navy losses.
Detail :
The Commonwealth War Graves Debt of Honour Register records that John Richard Ormerod died on 6 April 1916, whilst serving as an Assistant Paymaster with the Royal Naval Reserve.
John is shown as serving with H.M.S. "Hungerford", and is buried in Suez War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt (Grave Ref. C. 20). H.M.S. Hungerford is actually R.F.A. Hungerford - a distilling ship / collier, with which he served from 26 August 1915.
Suez was an important hospital centre during the First World War with two Indian general hospitals, two stationary hospitals and casualty clearing stations based there at various times.
Initially, burials took place in a special plot in the Protestant cemetery but the War Memorial Cemetery was established nearby in 1918, and these graves were transferred there, together with some from other burial grounds.
The Deaths at Sea Register, 1781-1968, records that John was a Purser and Assistant Paymaster, aged 45 at the time of his death, and resident at 60 Tierney Road, Streatham Hill, London. It also confirms that he died on 6 April 1916 at Suez.
The National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1856-1966, records that "John Richard [Ormerod] of 21 Goldsmith-street Liverpool assistant paymaster R.N.R. died 6 April 1916 at sea. Probate Liverpool 26 May to Ada Lucy Ormerod widow. Effects £841 14s. 3d."
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Hamer No. 1393 E.C. | West Lancashire |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
26th September 1904 | 28th October 1904 | 24th February 1905 |
Chief Steward of 21 Pendenmis Street upon initiation in 1904. No war service is recorded in the contribution ledger, but does have a year of arrears shown prior to the annotation of "Died 5th Apr/16."
John is listed amongst the 189 entries on the Liverpool Masonic War Memorial.
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