James Andrew Allars

 James Andrew Allars was born in Rotherhithe, London, in 1890, the son of James Allars and Mary Jane Stockdale.

James Allars and Mary Jane Stockdale
marriage certificate
St James's Church, Jamaica Road, Southwark

His parents had married the previous year at St James's Church, Jamaica Road, Southwark.

1891 Census

At the time of the 1891 Census, the family was living at 41 Scovell Road, St George the Martyr, Southwark. James's father, aged 29 and born in Stepney, was serving as a police constable, while his mother, Mary, aged 21, had been born in Southwark. Their son, James Andrew, was just nine months old.

1911 Census

A decade later, the 1901 Census recorded the family at 6 Puselage Buildings, Poplar, London. James senior, now aged 38, was still serving as a police constable, while Mary was 32. Their two sons were James Andrew, aged 10, and William George, aged six.

Tragedy came to the family in 1904 when Mary Jane Allars died.

James Allars and Harriet Louisa Balderson
marriage certificate
St Matthias Church, Woodstock Terrace, Tower Hamlets

The following year, James remarried, his second wife being Harriet Louisa Balderson. They were married at St Matthias Church, Woodstock Terrace, Tower Hamlets.

1911 Census

By the time of the 1911 Census, the family had grown considerably and was living at 28 Ullin Street, South Bromley. James, aged 48, had progressed in his career and was now a Sergeant in the Metropolitan Police. His wife, Harriet, was aged 34.

James's two sons from his first marriage were still at home. James Andrew, aged 20, was employed as an invoice clerk, while his younger brother, William George, aged 16, worked as a coffee roaster.

James and Harriet's children were four-year-old twins, Elsie Louisa and Herbert Charles, and Edwin John, who was 11 months old.

Also living with the family was James senior's widowed brother, George Andrew, aged 41, who worked as a warehouseman, together with George's daughter, Annetta Edith, aged 12, who was attending school.

The outbreak of the First World War was to have devastating consequences for the Allars family, with both James Andrew and his younger brother William George entering military service.

William George Allars
Dud Corner Cemetery
credit - findagrave

William served as a Rifleman with the 17th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Poplar and Stepney Rifles). He was killed in action on 7 January 1916, aged only about 21, and was buried at Dud Corner Cemetery in France.

James Andrew also served during the war. He had formerly served with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers before becoming a Private with the 14th Battalion, Welsh Regiment.

James Andrew Allars
Delville Wood Cemetery, Longueval, Somme, France
credit - findagrave

More than two and a half years after the death of his younger brother, James was himself killed in action on 27 August 1918, during the final months of the war. He was 28 years old.

Private James Andrew Allars is buried at Delville Wood Cemetery, Longueval, Somme, France.

For James senior and his family, the First World War brought an unimaginable double loss. Both of his sons from his marriage to Mary Jane were killed while serving their country: William in January 1916 and James Andrew in August 1918. Their deaths, separated by more than two years of war, left the Allars family to mourn two young men who never returned home.