Two Early Casualties of WW2

The day after war began, two soldiers lost their lives on a Lancashire road. Pte Thomas Albert Lawson was a Territorial Army soldier serving in The King's Own Royal Regiment, while Pte Thomas Lee Driver was a regular soldier with The Loyal Regiment. Both were killed when their motorcycle was in collision with a motor car driven by 2nd Lt Lee Wheeler. According to a witness, the two vehicles changed sides of the road three times before the collision. Lawson [from Carnforth] was killed instantly while Driver was thrown heavily to the ground. Latter was taken to a hospital in Lancaster but died later from his injuries.

Pte Thomas Driver was buried in the churchyard at St Mark's, Dolphinholme 

Pte Lawson was buried St John's churchyard, Yealand Conyers

Lusitania Victim

Chief Steward Arthur Hugh Ford, Mercantile Marine lost on SS Lusitania. His was 58th body of 259 recovered [Queenstown]. Buried at Everton Cemetery, Liverpool. Originally named on the Mercantile Marine Memorial but name removed in 1928 when it was discovered he had a grave.

Killed by Mine Explosion

Walter Bentley Sharples, 5th Engineer Officer, Merchant Navy is named on the family memorial in Haslingden Cemetery, Lancashire. His name is listed on the Tower Hill Memorial. The names of the mostly Chinese crew are recorded on the Hong Kong Memorial.

MV Arinia was a British Motor Tanker of 8,024 tons built in 1936 by Lithgows, Port Glasgow for the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company. She was powered by a diesel, single screw giving 12 knots.

On the 19th December 1940 she was mined and sunk off the Nore Light Vessel when on route from Aruba for the Isle of Grain. It seems that the engines were switched off while the boat was in the Thames Estuary waiting for dock gates to open. Sadly, as soon as the engines were turned off, the anti magnetic system was disabled and the metal hull attracted a mine. All the crew perished with the exception of a cabin boy

Massive explosion kills Father and Son

Samuel Wolstenholme and his son William were killed in the Kearsley Colliery explosion March 12, 1878. They are buried together at St Stephen's, Kearsal Moor:

Massive