Brigadier General John Lamrock, CB, VD[1] (25 December 1859 – 19 July 1935) was a senior Australian soldier who served during World War I, and a horse racing administrator.[2]

John Lamrock
Lamrock in 1915
Born(1859-12-25)25 December 1859
Kurrajong, New South Wales
Died19 July 1935(1935-07-19) (aged 75)
Stanmore, New South Wales
AllegianceAustralia
Service/branchAustralian Army
RankBrigadier General
Commands held2nd Division
5th Infantry Brigade
20th Infantry Battalion
Battles/warsFirst World War
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration
Mentioned in Despatches
Other workSecretary of the Moorefield Race Club

Early life edit

Lamrock was born at Kurrajong, New South Wales, on 25 December 1859, one of seven children[3] of Elizabeth (née Skuthorpe) and William Lamrock.[4] He was educated at Newington College at Newington House on the Parramatta River at Silverwater, New South Wales (1873–1874)[5] and Sydney Grammar School (1875–1877). After finishing his schooling he lived for many years in the Hawkesbury district and for a time served as a councillor and President of the Colo Shire Council. In 1885 he married Mary Bowman Cameron of Richmond, New South Wales.[6]

Horse racing edit

In 1877, Lamrock became a member of the Hawkesbury Race Club[7] and at the time of his death he was chairman. He was a race meeting judge on the former Clarendon course, and for the Newcastle Jockey Club[8] and the former Menangle Club. Lamrock was appointed secretary of the Moorefield Race Club in 1912 and remained in that position until early in 1935.[9] Moorefield Racecourse opened in 1888 and was in the area bounded by President Avenue, Marshall Street and the Princes Highway, Kogarah, New South Wales,[10] and was subdivided in the 1950s. Before and after the war, Lamrock lived at Glenroy, Kensington Street, Kogarah.[11]

First World War edit

In April 1915, Lamrock was posted as a lieutenant colonel in command of the 20th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, and remained in charge of that battalion until the completion of the Gallipoli Campaign. When he returned to Australia in 1916 he was appointed as the camp commandant at Liverpool, New South Wales.[12] Having been Mentioned in Despatches, he was later promoted to the rank of brigadier general and appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath.[13] At war's end he returned to his role at Moorefield.

Death edit

Lamrock was a resident of Gladstone Parade, Lindfield, New South Wales, when he died post-operatively at Braeside Private Hospital, Stanmore. He was survived by his wife, Mary, daughters, Gwen and Ethel, and son, Alan.[14]

References edit

  1. ^ "Brigadier General John Lamrock, CB, VD". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  2. ^ "SOLDIER AND SPORTSMAN". Windsor and Richmond Gazette. NSW: National Library of Australia. 26 July 1935. p. 10. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  3. ^ "Search births to William and Elizabeth Lamrock 1850–1870". NSW BD&Ms. Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  4. ^ "Search births: John Lamrock 1858–1861". NSW BD&Ms. Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  5. ^ Newington College Register of Past Students 1863–1998 (Sydney, 1999) pp119
  6. ^ "Search marriages: John Lamrock 1880–1900". NSW BD&Ms. Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  7. ^ "RACING FIGURE". The Canberra Times. National Library of Australia. 20 July 1935. p. 1. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  8. ^ "JOCKEY CLUB". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 7 June 1907. p. 6. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  9. ^ "OBITUARY". The Northern Standard. Darwin, NT: National Library of Australia. 23 July 1935. p. 10. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  10. ^ A Brief History of Rockdale. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  11. ^ The AIF Project – John Lamrock Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  12. ^ "OBITUARY Brigadier-General Lamrock". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 20 July 1935. p. 20. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  13. ^ It's an Honour. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  14. ^ "Family Notices". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 20 July 1935. p. 14. Retrieved 2 September 2012.