Rev. David Youngson has submitted the following:
196092 Private Frederick Austin Lackenby HARDY
Corps of Royal Engineers
The only son of Frederick Walter Hardy and Mary Hannah Hardy of 24 Egglestone Terrace, Stockton on Tees he was born in the second quarter of 1888. The 1891 Census records him living at 5 Farrar Street, Stockton on Tees. At the 1901 Census he was living at 7 Clairmont Terrace, Norton and was there in 1911 when his occupation was given as an Analytical Chemist with Stockton Borough Council. He was Initiated into the Lodge of Fraternity no 1418, Stockton on Tees on 22nd October 1914; Passed 26th November 1914 and Raised on the 28th January 1915 and was a Steward of the Lodge his occupation at this time was given as Gas Engineer residing with his parents at 24 Egglestone Terrace, Stockton on Tees. He enlisted on the 20th October 1915 and served with the Royal Engineers (Special Brigade Deployment) as a Pioneer and went to France on the 26th December 1916. He was gassed on the 23rd March 1918 and discharged as physically unfit on the 11th November 1918. He was a recipient of the Silver War Badge No B37337 issued on the 28th November 1918. He died on the 15th September 1919 aged 31. The Coroner’s death certificate attributed the cause of death as being “gassed whilst on active service”. He is buried in Oxbridge Cemetery, Stockton on Tees, Grave Reference B.52.i.
He was not recorded as a war casualty and the only reference to him as such was in the Roll of Honour of the United Grand Lodge of England published in 1922. In August 2014 the Ministry of Defence announced that consideration would be given to such persons to be acknowledged as a casualty of war. Following representations through the Commonwealth War Graves Commission he was afforded war casualty status on 1st March 2015
Family History
His father, Worshipful Brother Frederick Walter Hardy was a Marine Draughtsmen and was Initiated into the Lodge of Fraternity on the 17th September 1906 and was Worshipful Master in 1915/1916 and Lodge Secretary from 1917 until his death in 1930 aged 75. His mother Mary Hannah Hardy died in 1944 aged 88. Both are buried with their son in Oxbridge Cemetery. The 1911 census records Mrs. Hardy as Mary Emma Hardy. There were two daughters of the marriage Margaret Eveline Hardy born circa 1883 and Florence Mary Hardy born circa 1890.
Margaret Grundy, a distant relative, has added the following:
His mother was always know as Mary Emma, though she was registered at birth as Mary Hannah and at death as Mary H.
She was baptised as Mary Emma Lackenby, 30 Dec. 1855 a daughter of William and Margaret Lackenby, at St. Thomas, Stockton. She married as Mary Emma 1882 Stockton (March quarter, vol 10a page 114) and is shown as Mary Emma in all the censuses, except for 1871 where she is shown as Mary E Lackenby. The national Probate Calendar shows her as Mary Emma in 1944(her death) and also in 1930 (death of her husband) and in 1915 (death of her son Frederick).
Frederick Austin Lackenby Hardy is remembered in Stockton on S138.75 and in the Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-18
