People on board

LAWLER, Lance-Corporal

It is not certain that Lance-Corporal Lawler of the King’s Liverpool Regiment is the same person as Lance-Corporal Robert Lawler of that regiment but it appears likely.

Robert Lawler was born in 1891 in Liverpool to John Lawler and Sophia McEvoy, one of their ten children, six of whom were alive in 1911. John Lawler was a Shipping Clerk at the time of his marriage in 1877 but was later a Fireman at sea. He was away from home at the time of the 1901 census when Sophia and the four youngest children, including ten year old Robert, were living with an older daughter and her family. In 1911 John was at home and the family were living in Brown Street. Robert gave his occupation as Dairyman.

Robert Lawler married Rose Adderley in 1914 and they had three children, Thomas 1915, Robert 1917 and Ellen 1920. They then lived in the West Derby area. He enlisted in the King’s Liverpool Regiment in late 1915 and was initially with the 16th Reserve Battalion, Service Number 11264. He was attached to the 13th Service Battalion in France when he was wounded in July 1916, suffering a gunshot wound to the leg. He was At Home between April and July 1917 before being sent back to France until September of that year. He spent the remainder of the war At Home until he was demobilised in February 1919.

The 3rd Reserve Battalion of the K.L.R. was in Ireland from 1917 and it is quite possible that Robert Lawler was posted there in 1918 and travelled on RMS Leinster on the 10th of October but this has not been confirmed. A Lance-Corporal Lawler is recorded as surviving the sinking.

Robert, Rose and Ellen Lawler were living in Hamilton Road in Liverpool at the time of the 1939 Register, when Robert gave his occupation as Dairy Worker. He died in Hamilton Road in October 1949 aged fifty-eight.