Stuart Bertram Noakes was born on 3 October 1875 in Beckenham, Kent, the seventh of the eight children of Wickham Noakes (1840-1923) and Kate Frances Noakes née Shorter (1843-1909).
Our Picture Source and the Surrey in the Great War website give information about the man. The 1881 census shows him living at Fairfield, The Avenue, Beckenham, Kent, with his parents, six of his siblings: John Norman Noakes (1867-1918), Mabel Kate Noakes (1868-1947), Evelyn Beatrice Noakes (1869-1957), Sydney Neville Noakes (1872-1921), Mellicent Elizabeth Noakes (1874-1956) & Marie Lilian Claire Noakes (1878-1958), together with four female domestic servants. His father's occupation was recorded as a brewer and his eldest sibling, Wickham Francis Noakes (1866-1918) was registered as a boarding scholar at Eastbourne College, Blackwater Road, Eastbourne, Sussex.
In the 1891 census he was described as a brewer's apprentice, residing at 9 The Avenue, Beckenham, with his parents, three siblings: Evelyn, Sydney & Mellicent, together with a cook, a kitchen-maid, a parlour-maid and a housemaid. His father was still recorded as a brewer and his brother, Sydney, as a brewer's apprentice.
As his father had been had been a Freeman of the City of London in the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors' since being admitted on 8 May 1864, he too applied to be admitted into the Freedom of the City of London by patrimony in the same Company on 8 October 1896.
On 7 December 1897 both he and his brother, John Norman Noakes, were initiated as freemasons in the Moira Lodge No.92 that met at The Albion Tavern, Aldersgate Street, London. The masonic registers show that their residences were both recorded as the Black Eagle Brewery, Bermondsey, and their professions were both given as brewers.
On 4 April 1899 he applied to be admitted as a member of the London Stock Exchange, giving his home address as The Red House, Leatherhead, Surrey and his business address as 37 Throgmorton Street, London, EC. However his home address had changed to Selsdon Park, Croydon by 1900.
On 24 April 1906 he married Mabel Downing Allen (1880-1954) at Manchester Cathedral, Victoria Street, Manchester, Lancashire, where the marriage register showed him as a stockbroker residing in the Grosvenor Hotel, Manchester, whilst his wife was recorded as spinster, living at Beach House, Old Trafford, the daughter of Charles Downing Allen (1857-1925), a diamond merchant. They had three children: Pauline Kate Winifred Noakes (1907-1969), Sylvia Wickham Noakes (1910-1929) and Barbara Allen Noakes (1911-1995). They resided at Bordina, Cheam Road, Cheam, Sutton, Surrey.
He described himself as a stockbroker in the 1911 census still living at Bordina, Cheam Road, Cheam, with his wife and their two daughters, together with two domestic nurses, an under nurse and two other female domestic servants. His father-in-law was also shown as a visitor. The following year their address had changed to 54 The Avenue, Beckenham, Kent.
He initially joined the Army Service Corps in 1914 as a Private, service number DM/2/151243, and was made an Acting Corporal until he received his commission in April 1916 as a Temporary 2nd Lieutenant. Confirmation of him being confirmed in this rank was published in the London Gazette dated 10 August 1916.
He eventually rose to the rank of Captain and died, aged 42 years, travelling with his regiment on HMT Aragon when the ship was torpedoed and sank on 30 December 1917 in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Egypt. As he has no known grave he is commemorated on Stone 12F on the Chatby Memorial, Alexandria, El Eskenderiya, Egypt.
His army effects totalling £54-10s-9d were transferred to his wife by 23 September 1920. He is also commemorated on the Rugby School Memorial Chapel, on a memorial tablet in All Saint's Church, Sanderstead, Surrey and on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
