On Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium is the name of 290092 Private Bernard Frederick Lazenby, serving with the 1st/7th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers who died 26/10/1917.

He was the son of A. W. and Elizabeth Lazenby, of 74, Milburn Road, Ashington, Northumberland.

Bernardus Fredericus Lazenby was baptised May 28th 1893 at St Robert’s RC Church at Morpeth and he was registered at Morpeth as Bernard Frederick Lazenby.

Margaret Allison reports that in 1911 he lived at 36 Mersey Terrace, Hirst,  Ashington.

CWGC give his name as Ben Frederick Lazenby; Soldiers Died in the Great War states that “F. Lazenby” was born in Morpeth and enlisted in Ashington.  All military records give his name as Frederick. The census records also give his name as Frederick.

Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-

Bernard Frederick Lazenby was one of 12 children of whom by 1911 only 9 had survived.

His mother Elizabeth Kavanaugh was born in the town of Carlow, in Ireland, his father was a native of Morpeth, Northumberland where he was born April 4th 1861 and married Elizabeth at St. Robert of Newminster, Morpeth, May 6th 1884.

Their son James William was born in 1885, Anna Lydia, March 6th 1887, John Joseph 1888 and Charles Stanley, January 30th 1890 while they were living at 2, Stafford’s Yard. Andrew William supported his family employed as a colliery joiner.

By 1901 they had moved to 3, Newgate Street, Morpeth, and Elizabeth had given birth to a further 6 children. Thomas Lyall Lazenby was born in 1891 but died during the 1st quarter (Jan/Feb/Mar) 1893 while Elizabeth was pregnant with their 6th child who was born during the 2nd quarter (Apr/May/Jun) 1893 whom they named Bernard Frederick and baptised May 23rd 1893 at St. Robert of Newminster, Morpeth.

Their daughter Mary Elizabeth was born May 6th 1894 but tragedy befell the family once again when their son Saint Gerard Lazenby was born and died within 3 months of his birth in 1896. Their family continued to grow with the birth of Leonora, December 22nd 1897, affectionately known as Nora and Monica, August 6th 1899 known as Mona.

Andrew William was still the only breadwinner in the family, to increment the family income they had taken in a boarder, Charles S. Storey (57) a shop keeper for his own account. 

The youngest of their children Robert Stanley and Thomas William Norman Lazenby were born March 10th 1902 and June 5th 1904 respectively By the end of 1904 Andrew William’s parents had both died and in 1910 they lost their son John Joseph Lazenby (22).

Seven of their surviving children were still living at home in 1911. The family had moved by 1911 into 5 rooms at 36, Mersey Terrace, Ashington, Andrew William (49) was working as a joiner at the colliery which also supplied work to his son Charles (21) as a pony putter and Bernard Frederick (19) as a shifter. Mary (18) assisted her mother in the home. Norah, Monica, Stanley and Norman were scholars. They had taken into their home a boarder, colliery worker David Copeland. 

As early as 1911 there were already rumblings of a of a possibility of war with Germany which was declared, August 4th 1914. In answer to Kitchener’s call to arms and the order that all regiments raise new battalions, men from all walks of life volunteered to serve their Country.

Bernard Frederick Lazenby enlisted in Ashington as Ben Frederick Lazenby and assigned as Private 7/1195 erroneously as Frederick Lazenby. He departed to the front as of January 1916 attached to the 1st/7th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers of the Territorial Forces.

Private Lazenby arrived in France just as preparations were underway for the beginning of the Battles of the Somme where the 1/7th Battalion was attached to the 149th Brigade, 50th (Northumbrian) Division. The division did not take part in any major battle until the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, September 15th-22nd 1916 then during the Battle of Morval, September 25th-28th and Le Transloy, October 1st-18th. At the conclusion of the Battles of the Somme the division spent the winter in billets before moving to the Arras sector in the spring of 1917. In early 1917 Private Lazenby was renumbered as 290092

In March 1917 the 1st/7th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers was in training until April 1st when it was on the march. Having left Villers Bocage April 1st it marched through Arras on April 11th to Harp in heavy snowstorms and by the 14th was in support of the 6th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers during the Arras Offensive capturing Wancourt Ridge. Under heavy bombardment the ranks lost 1 killed, 7 wounded and 1 missing.

April 16th until the 25th they were in the trenches then retired to billets in Ronville returning to duty during May, in and out of the front line. June 1st 1917 they were again in training and reinforced with the arrival of 9 new officers. After a period in reserve at Boileux St. Marc they returned to training June 19th-25th and supplied two working parties to the Royal Engineers.

In July they were relieved by the 6th Battalion and undertook night work and supplied carrying parties for the Royal Engineers they then moved to Belgium where they participated during the 3rd Battle of Ypres.

October 26th 1917 the battalion was involved in heavy fighting. By 4 a.m. A, B and D Companies moved into position and at 5.40 a.m. after a barrage of the enemy lines the troops went forward 50 yards every 4 minutes but came under heavy machine gun fire. The enemy was seen to be moving back but the 1st/7th Battalion still sustained heavy casualties from machine gun fire. The battle continued throughout the day until at midnight the troops of the 1st/7th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers were relieved by the 6th Battalion at 12 midnight October 26th 1917 and counted the costs.

The battalion lost 1 officer wounded, 10. killed, 1 missing believed killed, amongst the ranks 43 killed, 150 wounded, 53 missing believed killed. Amongst those declared as missing was Private Ben Frederick Lazenby. His family would have been informed but after extensive investigations as to his whereabouts he was struck of strength and for official purposes is presumed to have died, “on or since,” October 26th 1917. He was 23 years of age and single.

Private 290092 Ben Frederick Lazenby has no known grave, his sacrifice is recorded as one of almost 35,000 names inscribed on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing which forms part of the boundary wall of Tyne Cot Cemetery, West Vlaanderen, Belgium commemorating those who fell as of August 16th 1917. 

Andrew William Lazenby received all monies due to his late son from the Army, his mother Elizabeth Lazenby was awarded a pension of 13 shillings a week June 20th 1918 to be received weekly as of June 25th 1918 sent to them at 74, Milburn Road, Ashington.

The sorrow of loosing their son was compounded at a distance of 1 year less 1 day when their eldest son Gunner James William Lazenby died at the 8th Stationary Hospital, Wimereux, France. 

The 3rd Battle of Ypres also claimed the life of their daughter Mary Elizabeth’s husband Corporal Thomas Cookson Leech.

In 1921 Andrew William Lazenby, his wife, 3 of their adult children, their widowed daughter Mary Elizabeth and her son were still living at 74, Milburn Road, Ashington. Joiner Andrew William Lazenby (60) was employed by the Ashington Coal Company as were his sons Charles Stanley (31) and Robert Stanley (19) working above ground as colliery labourers, Thomas Norman (17) was serving his apprenticeship with the company as a brick layer. They had taken into their home as a boarder 60 year old coal hewer Mr. A. Cochrane.

Andrew William Lazenby died in 1926 registered in Morpeth, Northumberland. Elizabeth Lazenby in 1939 was semi-incapacitated and living at 17, Fosse Terrace, Gateshead, historically in County Durham, cared for by her daughter Mary Elizabeth who was employed as a golf club stewardess.

Elizabeth Lazenby nee Kavanaugh died March 20th 1941 in Gateshead, County Durham.

In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.

Bernard Frederick Lazenby is remembered at Ashington on A17.01 (A17.27),  A17.40 and A17.43 and in the Battalion History.