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Tag Archives: Mary Jane LAMONT (1863-1892)

ORMSBY, Robert Lamont (1892-1937)

01 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by theirownstories in Ormsby Family

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Andrew ORMSBY (1848-1928), Helen STEEL (abt. 1821-1913), Henry Ormsby (1859-1924), James Henry ORMSBY (1890-abt. 1956), Mary Jane LAMONT (1863-1892), Robert Lamont ORMSBY (1892-1937)

[this post last edited, new information and/or images added 24 February 2013]

Robert Lamont ORMSBY was born at 19 Regent Place, Shawlands, Glasgow, Renfrew, Scotland on 5 March 1892 to Henry ORMSBY and his wife Mary Jane LAMONT. His mother died five days after his birth and Robert went to live with his maternal grandmother Isabela LAMONT in Lockfoot Village, Kirkcudbright, Scotland for the first few years of his life. The 1911 census found Henry, 19, a medical student, at Gibbsyard, Ayr with his father Henry, brother James [James Henry ORMSBY], Uncle Andrew [Andrew ORMSBY] and grandmother Helen Ormsby [Helen STEEL]. Three months after the census was taken his brother James went to Singapore to where he worked for the Heap Eng Moh Steamship Company, a large operation which provided cargo and passenger services to Malaysia and the South Seas area. It is likely that James wanted Robert to join him.

About 1912 Robert left his medical studies and enlisted in the Officers’ Training Corps (OTC) at Glasgow University. He also heard from his brother James, in Singapore, about the opportunities for work and advancement in that area of the world. WATSON1913-020

[Right and below: Photo believed to be Robert Lamont Ormsby. The uniform is that of the Officers’ Training Corps (OTC) at Glasgow University. Photo taken about 1912. From the author’s collection.]

WATSON1913-020a

Robert became interested in the rubber industry and saw that as a potential career in Southeast Asia. The growing popularity and mass production of the motorcar, such as the Model T, created a significant demand for tires. Bankers and wealthy industrialists, including those in Scotland, were keen to exploit this demand. ‘Rubber planters’ usually educated men, were hired by estate owners to manage the rubber plantations in Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia. Newspapers of the time reported on the new industry and no doubt the opportunity for financial reward was discussed in the pubs and among the OTC students. And Robert’s brother James was already in Singapore.

Robert made his decision – he would leave Scotland’s damp climate and limited job opportunities, join his brother and become a rubber planter. He booked his passage to Singapore for June 1913. But first he attended to a personal matter.

WATSON1913-021WATSON1913-021a

[Photo believed to be Robert Lamont ORMSBY and Isabella Thow TURNER, about 1913, from the author’s collection]

On 10 June 1913, three days before he sailed, Robert, 21, occupation listed as ‘rubber planter’, married Isabella Thow TURNER, 25, a governess from Mauchline, Ayrshire. Isabella had grown up in St. Quivox the same parish as Robert; likely their families had been neighbours and they had known each other in childhood. They married in Glasgow, using a Sheriff’s Warrant license rather than go through the slower process of posting marriage banns. Perhaps they wanted to be married before Robert emigrated so that it would be easier for Isabella to join him once he was settled.

On June 13, 1913 Robert sailed from London to Singapore on the P&O ship Mongolia. In August 1914, little more than a year after Robert left Scotland, World War I (WWI) broke out. Britain and her colonies were at war and thousands of patriotic men and women enlisted; Robert was one of these. Isabella did not see Robert for another four years.

On January 1, 1915 five months after the declaration of war, Robert enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) at Blackboy Hill, Western Australia. It is not known whether Robert went to Western Australia purposely to enlist, or whether he was on leave after a spell in the tropical regions of Malaya as Western Australia has a dryer Mediterranean climate. There is no evidence that there were any rubber estates in Western Australia where he could work as a rubber planter. In his attestation papers he cited his previous service with the OTC from Glasgow University. Robert named his father Henry as next of kin, an indication that the Australian army did not recognize his marriage to Isabella since it was conducted outside the church.

Shortly after Robert enlisted he sailed for the Middle East where he served with the ‘Unit 4th Reinforcement to the 16th Battalion’ in the Gallipoli Peninsular campaign – a campaign that was a disastrous failure. Of the estimated over 250,000 allied casualties at Gallipoli, approximately half were due to sickness, chiefly dysentery, diarrhoea and enteric fever. Improper hygiene, poor sanitation and a breakdown in supply lines were exacerbated by the terrain and close fighting which did not allow for the dead to be buried. Flies and other vermin flourished in the heat, which caused epidemic sickness. Robert was one of the casualties of disease and was declared unfit due to enteric fever. He convalesced on the Royal Navy hospital ship ‘Somalia’ and military hospitals at Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt.

Robert returned to the Blackboy Hill military camp by August 21, 1916. Declared ‘temporarily unfit’, he served on home service duties in Australia, address Forest Street, Freemantle, Western Australia.

After five months Robert recovered. The war was going badly for the allies and there was a great need for men for the battlefields of France. On January 15, 1917 again at Blackboy Hill, Robert joined the 1st Anzac Corps Salvage Section, a group that recovered equipment from the battlefield. Robert listed Isabella as next of kin, although identified her as ‘a friend’ another indication that the Australian Army did not recognize the marriage. In order to ensure Isabella’s widow’s pension if Robert was killed in action the marriage needed to be formalized.

Robert arrived in the UK by March 1917. He was posted to Darrington, Salisbury Plains, Wiltshire, England. In early March he went ‘absent without leave’ for ten days. It seems likely that he travelled to Mauchline to see Isabella and arranged to be married in church to ensure the legality of Isabella’s position as his wife. As a penalty for his absence without permission Robert was sentenced March 21, 1917 to eleven days detention and forfeited 22 day’s pay. Although planned in March the marriage did not occur for five months as wartime marriages of military personnel were time consuming to arrange, particularly in this situation. First Robert spent his ten days in detention and possibly some time being confined to barracks. Then Robert requested permission to marry from his Commanding Officer and then requested leave to do so. Arrangements with the church took time as the banns had to be read on three successive Sundays. On August 17, 1917, the formalities completed, Isabella and Robert married in Mauchline, Ayrshire. In the eyes both of the church and AIF “Mrs I. Ormsby (Wife), Ayrshire, Scotland” was Robert’s next of kin.

In early October 1917 Robert sailed for France and carried out his duties of battle field equipment salvage. He did not return to the UK until March 1919 when he was admitted to King George’s Hospital in London as an Influenza casualty. He was discharged from the AIF in London on May 14, 1919.

For his war service Robert was issued three medals: the 1914/15 Star; the British War Medal (BWM); and the Victory Medal (VM).

There is no sign that Robert returned to rubber planting or southeast Asia after the war. Neither Robert nor Isabella appear in the records of passengers leaving the UK. He may have turned to a career as a journalist. At the time of Isabella’s death on February 15, 1947 she was ‘widow of Robert Lamont Ormsby, journalist’. Death information for Robert has not been found in a search of the Scottish records. A death record for a ‘Robert L. Ormsby’, in Pancras, London in 1937 requires further research.

Robert and Isabella may have had a daughter in 1928. Hopefully a family member or descendent will see this and help add more information so that Robert and Isabella can continue to tell more of TheirOwnStory.

ORMSBY, James Henry (1890-about 1956?)

28 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by theirownstories in Ormsby Family

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Agnes Anderson DRUMMOND (abt. 1889-abt. 1964), Andrew ORMSBY (1848-1928), Helen STEEL (abt. 1821-1913), Henry Ormsby (1859-1924), James Henry ORMSBY (1890-abt. 1956), Mary Jane LAMONT (1863-1892), Robert Lamont ORMSBY (1892-1937)

[this post last edited and / or new information added 1 January 2013]

James Henry ORMSBY was born 18 January 1890 in McLellan St., Dumfries, Dumfriesshire, Scotland to Henry ORMSBY and his wife Mary Jane LAMONT. After his mother’s death in 1892, he lived with his father, Uncle Andrew Ormsby [Andrew ORMSBY] and paternal grandmother Helen Ormsby [Helen STEEL] at Gibbsyard in Ayr. He attended a four year Mechanical Engineering course at Glasgow Technical College. Upon completion of five years apprenticeship in mechanical engineering (steam, internal combustion, gas) by 1911 James, 21, was a Marine Engineer. At some point he also took a seven month ‘aeroplane construction including aero engines’ course.

In September 1911 James went to Singapore in the Straits Settlements, a separate Crown colony, directly overseen by the Colonial Office in London. At the time Singapore had established itself as an important trading port and developed into a major city with rapid increase in population. In Singapore James worked for the Heap Eng Moh Steamship Company owned by Chinese millionaire Oei Tiong Ham known as the ‘Java Sugar King’ but his business was far more diverse than the title suggested as his ships traded rice, sugar, rubber, opium and other supplies throughout the region. It was a time of rapid expansion for the company which later was described as a ‘vast business empire’. James no doubt saw the potential for work and progress and likely encouraged his younger brother Robert [Robert Lamont ORMSBY] to join him in the region.

James spent nearly three years in Singapore. During the time he also learned the local language as his military service records noted that he spoke “Malay, Chinese (Coolie)”. In July 1914, just a month before WWI broke out, James returned to Britain.

In April 1915 James joined the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). He was appointed an Acceptance Officer at the Admiralty where he acted as an Observer and Inspector. He moved to Ealing, a borough of London, England and worked at the Admiralty office in Hotel Cecil, The Strand, London. Ealing was about a twenty minute ride from the Hotel Cecil where James was posted.

On 18 December 18, 1915 James married Agnes Anderson DRUMMOND in Edinburgh according to a Sheriff’s Warrant. Agnes, born about 1889, was from Cupar, Fife, Scotland, the daughter of retired Marine Engineer David DRUMMOND and his wife Georgina DAVIDSON so it is likely that James met Agnes in Scotland through his work and social connections. James’ address at the time of his marriage was 41 The Avenue in Ealing, a building with flats or apartments. After their marriage Agnes moved to Ealing with James.

On April 1, 1918 James transferred from the RNAS to the newly formed Royal Air Force (RAF). Service record phrases “NI”, ‘Section Air Dept”, “housed/working at the Hotel Cecil / HMS President” have led to the conclusion that James was in Naval Intelligence (NI) based at the Admiralty. The Hotel Cecil was requisitioned for the war effort and served as the headquarters for the newly formed RAF and ‘HMS President’ was used to designate the Admiralty.

A daughter [still alive?] was born to James and Agnes in Dundee, Scotland March 23, 1918. Agnes’ address on April 1, 1918 was still in Ealing so it is likely she had returned to Scotland to her family or friends for the birth.

Sometime toward the end of WWI, James was posted to Dundee, Scotland. On January 1, 1920 Captain James Henry Ormsby left the RAF. He was awarded a British War Medal for his WWI efforts. Generally this medal was awarded only to those who had served outside the UK, however exceptions were sometimes made for particular services.

After James left the RAF he and his family lived at 1 St. Johns Wood Terrace, Park Rd, Dundee, Scotland. Post war work may have been difficult to find and he looked for overseas opportunities. He sailed from London for Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia on September 7, 1922 on the P&O ship S. S. Bendigo. He arrived in Sydney November 2, 1922. Agnes and her five year old daughter followed him to Sydney June 19, 1923. Their address when they left Scotland was 3 Gowrie St., Dundee.

NSW Electoral Rolls, 1930 to 1980, provide a picture of the family in Australia. James and Agnes lived at 14 Clifford St., in Parramatta, NSW from 1930 – 1954. James is listed as ‘engineer’ with no indication whether he used the ‘marine’ aspect of his qualifications, however the Paramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour so it would have been natural for him to do so. James died in 1956, presumably in Parramatta. From 1958-1963 Agnes lived at Taylor Street, West Pennant Hills, Castle Hill, Mitchell, NSW with her daughter and son-in-law. Agnes died in 1964. It is not known whether any children were born to James and Agnes in Australia.

Hopefully this blog will reach descendants of James and Agnes Ormsby and information can be added to their story.

ORMSBY, Henry (1859-1924)

19 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by theirownstories in Ormsby Family

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Helen McNab Steel ORMSBY (1895-1976), Helen STEEL (abt. 1821-1913), Henry Ormsby (1859-1924), James Henry ORMSBY (1890-abt. 1956), James ORMSBY (1850-aft.1871), James Ormsby (Abt. 1807-1871), Mary Jane LAMONT (1863-1892), Richard Steel ORMSBY (1853-1922), Robert Lamont ORMSBY (1892-1937), Thomas WATSON (1887-1951)

Henry ORMSBY, born on 19 February 1859 at Brickrow Farm St. Quivox & Newton, Ayrshire, Scotland, was the youngest of James ORMSBY and his wife Helen STEEL’s seven children. His father, James, was not home at the time of his birth, although there is no indication where he was; perhaps in Ireland, or at a cattle sale elsewhere in Scotland. The decision about a career or job was important and Henry watched the choices made by his four older brothers. Like his older brother Richard [Richard Steele ORMSBY] (and maybe James [James ORMSBY]), Henry decided that farming was not for him. He chose a life at sea and had ample opportunity for apprenticeships and training in the seaport town of Ayr. By 1881 Henry, 22, lived in Tynemouth, Northumberland, England as an unemployed marine engineer, perhaps still an apprentice. By 1887 at the time of his marriage Henry had attained his Master’s Engineering ticket.

On 02 September 1887 in Kirkbean, Kirkcudbright, Scotland, Henry married  Mary Jane LAMONT.  Mary Jane was born May 26, 1863 in Bankhead, Dalry, Ayrshire, Scotland to Robert LAMONT and Isabella HOWIE.  Henry and Mary Jane had two sons, James Henry ORSMBY (born in Dumfries 18 January 1890) and Robert Lamont ORMSBY (born in Glasgow 5 March 1892). On 10 March 1892, five days after Robert’s birth, Mary Jane died at 19 Regent Place, Shawlands, Glasgow. She is buried in St. Quivox, Ayrshire churchyard in one of the Ormsby family graves.

After Mary Jane’s death Henry moved home with his sons where he had family to help raise them. His work as a marine engineer likely required him to be away for extended periods. In the 1911 census he lived at Gibbsyard with his mother (89), his brother Andrew (63) and his two sons. This census identified that at age 52 Henry had retired.

WATSON1911-ORMSBY family

Photo left, standing, left to right is Henry and Thomas WATSON. Sitting left to right is Henry’s niece Helen (Nellie) McNab Steel ORMSBY and an unknown woman, possibly another niece, a MUIR cousin. This is the only known photo of Henry. The photograph was likely taken in Ayr, Ayrshire as there is no record of Nelly having travelled. The date is prior to 1912 as Thomas Watson, a chauffeur, immigrated to Canada in 1912. Photo is from the collection of Donald Slater, (for Donald’s other family photos see www.flickr.com/photos/palaeoecogeek).

On 4 June 1913, at 121 High Street in Ayr, widower Henry married Katherine MUIR, the daughter of Thomas MUIR and his wife Jeanie CRAWFORD.

Henry died at Bingham House in Richmond, Surrey, England on September 24th 1924. The reason he died in England is not known. Perhaps he and Katherine were visiting?

Hopefully someone who sees this story will have more information on Henry and is family.

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