Donald Spero Camelare was born on 2 March 1898 the elder child of Spero Camelare (1861-1943) and Annie Mary Camelare née Smith (1870-1958). On 5 June 1898 he was baptised at St Mary's Church, Bryanston Square, Marylebone, where the baptismal registers show the family were living at 51 Dorset Street, Marylebone and that his father was a dairyman.
The 1901 census confirms that he was still residing in three rooms at 51 Dorset Street, with his parents and his sister Annie Elizabeth Camelare (1900-1959). His father continued to be recorded as a dairyman.
When his father completed his 1911 census return form, he is shown as a schoolboy living in three rooms at 117 Audley Road, Hendon, North London, with his parents and his sister. His father described himself as a debt collector.
On 20 May 1916 he enlisted as a Private in the 7th (City of London) Battalion, The London Regiment, service number 7446. On 14 November 1917 he was transferred to the Army Service Corps but due to sickness he was honourably discharged from the army on 30 December 1917 and was awarded a Silver War Badge, serial number 297353.
His death, aged 21 years, was registered in the 1st quarter of 1919 in the Epsom registration district and his body was buried on 14 March 1919 in the churchyard of St Andrew's Church, Church Street, Cobham, Surrey.
He was posthumously awarded the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal.
He is shown as Camelare.D.S. Pte. .7City.Lon.Fus.2nd.Batt. on the Quebec Chapel War memorial and is also commemorated in the Imperial War Museum's Lives of the First World War website.
Although the Quebec Chapel War memorial describes Private Camelare as having died in WW1, we note that he died after the date that most people think of as the end of the war (11 November 1918).
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
