Lewis William Harman was born on 2 October 1895 in Lambeth, the fourth of the ten children of William Benson Harman (1870-1914) and Sarah Harman née Davis (1867-1940). On 27 October 1895 he was baptised at St John the Evangelist Church, Lambeth, where the baptismal register shows not only his date of birth but that the family were living at 58 Tanswell Street, Waterloo, Lambeth and that his father was a scene shifter.
His siblings were: Emma Maria Harman (1889-1981), William Philip Bevan Harman (1891-1895), Abraham Harman (1894-1972), William James Harman (1897-1976), Lucy Adelaide Harman (1899-1951), Leah Harman (1901-1977), Sophia Rachel Harman (1903-1988), Violet Beatrice Harman (1904-1991) and Alfred George Harman (1907-1995).
In the 1901 census he is shown as living at 15 Oakley Street, (later renamed as Baylis Road), Lambeth, with his parents and four siblings: Emma, Abraham, William and Lucy. His father's occupation was recorded as a carpenter.
When his father completed his 1911 census return form he is shown as a 'Taker off' at a printers, living in a four roomed property at 22 Lambeth Square, Lambeth, with his parents and his eight surviving siblings. His father is shown as a bookmaker's tic-tac man and as a scene shifter at the Garrick Theatre.
He enlisted as a Gunner in the Royal Field Artillery (RFA), service number 2996, and on 10 June 1916 he married Alice Amelia Flowers (1894-1971) at St Thomas' Church, Lambeth, where the marriage register shows him as a Gunner in the RFA living at 6 Boyce Street, Waterloo Road, Lambeth, whilst his wife was shown as a spinster, a daughter of Richard Flowers who worked as a road sweeper for Lambeth Borough Council and who lived at 6 Pearman Street, Lambeth.
When Territorial Force service numbers were changed in 1917 his became 951365. He was attached to the 18th Brigade of the RFA when he died of wounds, aged 21 years, on 17 August 1917 at the 12th Casualty Clearing Station, Mendinghem, Belgium. His body was buried in Plot 3 Row F, Grave 22 in the Mendinghem Military Cemetery, Roesbruggestraat, 8972 Poperinge, Belgium.
On 15 August 1918 his wife, who was residing at 370 Kennington Road, Lambeth, was sent his army effects totalling £3-1s-10d and on 15 November 1919 she was sent his £8-0s-0d war gratuity. He was posthumously awarded the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal.
He is also commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website and on the Imperial War Museum's Lives of the First World War website. He is also mentioned on the Sullivan Burgess family tree, but (as at 2022) it incorrectly shows his date of birth as 20 October 1895 and the circumstances of his death as killed in action.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
