Gunner Leslie Nottingham
| Date of Birth | 9 October 1895 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 20 |
| Date of Death | 31 May 1916 |
| Service Number | RMA/13806 |
| Military Service | Royal Marine Artillery HMS Queen Mary |
| Merton Address | 241 Queens Road, Wimbledon |
| Local Memorial | Rutlish School, Merton |
Additional Information
Leslie Nottingham who was the seventh child of 30 year old Ernest and 29 year old Louisa Norman at the time of his birth, the family resided at the Church House in Summers Town in Tooting in 1889 where he was baptized in the parish Church of St Mary.
His father Ernest was employed as a mercantile clerk, according to the 1891 Census, which reveals that by then the family now were living at 38 Shelbrook Street in Wandsworth.
According to the 1901 Census, 42 year old Arthur was now employed as an accountant, Arthur and Louisa Julia had 7 children and the family were living at 241 Queen’s Road in Wimbledon.
By 1911, Arthur and Louise Julia were living at 46 Merton Road in Putney with 3 of their children including their youngest son Leslie. Fifteen year old Leslie was employed as an office boy by a firm of engineers. The family also had Margaret Vashte 0ttaway a 28 year old female servant living with them.
Leslie enlisted in the Royal Marines as a gunner on the 13th September 1913 only to die on 31st May 1916 at The Battle of Jutland. His body was not recovered for burial.
His brother, Arthur’s Canadian service record is not available through Ancestry; he enlisted in the 3rd Bn Canadian Infantry (1st Central 0ntario Regiment) and was awarded the Military Medal for heroism in 1916. He was wounded in action, transferred back to England and died of his injuries in Croydon on the 23rd September in 1916. He was buried in the family grave at Wandsworth Cemetery.
HMS Queen Mary was the last battle cruiser built by the Royal Navy before World War I. The sole member of her class, Queen Mary shared many features with the Lion-class battle cruisers, including her eight 13.5-inch (343 mm) guns. She was completed in 1913 and participated in the Battle of Heligoland Bight as part of the Grand Fleet in 1914. Like most of the modern British battle cruisers, she never left the North Sea during the war. As part of the 1st Battle cruiser Squadron, she attempted to intercept a German force that bombarded the North Sea coast of England in December 1914, but was unsuccessful. She was refitting in early 1915 and missed the Battle of Dogger Bank in January, but participated in the largest fleet action of the war, the Battle of Jutland in mid-1916. She was hit twice by the German battle cruiser Derfflinger during the early part of the battle and her magazines exploded shortly afterwards, sinking the ship.