Brockelbank, Lawrence Seymour
Brockelbank, Laurence Seymour, Lieut., 3rd attached 1st Battn. King's Own Royal Lancaster Regt. son of George Seymour Brockelbank of Elm Lodge, Blackheath, member of the Stock Exchange, by his wife, Julia dau. of the late Henry Turner, of Court Lodge, Knockholt, Kent; born Eliot Park, Blackheath, 21 Sept. 1892; educ. Lindesfurn, Lee and Tonbridge School; entered the army as 2nd Lieut. 3rd Battn. King's Own, 5 May, 1914, and is believed to have been killed at the Battle of Cambray, 26 Aug. 1914, being reported missing from that date. Lieut. Douglas C. Robinson wrote, 1 Nov. 1914: "On 26 Aug. all the young officers had been accounted for except your boy. Some of the Lancashire Fusiliers told me when they went up to clear away the wounded that they saw a very young-looking officer, the description of which tallied with your son, lying dead absolutely next to our Colonel (Col. Dykes). Unfortunately we could not get up to them afterwards." From a statement made to the Rev. Gabin McFadyeen, of Saltash, by Private Copperwhaite, who had for some time acted as Lieut. Brockelbank's servant. It appears that the "King's Own" had been surprised by the German machine guns and lost heavily. Lieut. Brockelbank led his men heroically after he had been wounded, but a retreat became necessary, and while that was in progress he was killed instantaneously by the bursting of a shell. According to the list compiled by Capt. Davy, R.A.M.C., he was buried at Hautcourt, between Cambray and Le Cateau. He was gazetted Lieut., 2 Feb. 1915; unm. De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour
Biographical
| Surname(s) | Brockelbank |
|---|---|
| First name(s) | Lawrence Seymour |
| Date of birth | 21 September 1892 |
| Place of birth | Blackheath, London |
| Family details | Son of George (Stockbroker) and Julia Brockelbank, of Elm Lodge, The Glebe, Blackheath |
| Previous education | Lindisfarne School in Lee and at Tonbridge school |
| College | King's College London and/or King's College London Hospital |
| Dept / course | Faculty of Theology |
| Military unit | King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment), 3rd Bn. attd. 1st Bn |
| Date enlisted | May 1914 |
| War / conflict | World War One (1914-1918) |
| Date of death | 26 August 1914 |
| Age at death | 22 |
| Rank at death | Second Lieutenant |
| Cause of death | Killed in action. |
| Burial place | Naves Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord, France |
| Commemoration(s) | King's College Chapel; Lewisham War memorial; All Saints Church, Blackheath |
| Sources | King's College London Archives; Commonwealth War Graves Commission; De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour |
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