Eric William Lafone

Eric William Lafone

Key Information

Name: Eric William Lafone

DoB:  April 19 1896

Regt:  Temp2nd Lieut,, 12th Durham L.I., Sept., 1914; Capt., 1918; despatches; M.C.; Croix-de-Guerre, France,

DoD:  Killed in action in, Italy, June 22, 1918.

Academic Career: CGS 1905 – 1906; Repton School 1910; Trinity College, Cambridge.

Biographical Information

  • Eric William was the eldest son of Henry Pownall Malins Lafone and Gertrude née Broadbent. He was born on  April 19 1896 in Southsea Hampshire. In the 1901 census he was aged four years and living in Ambleside where his father was Vicar. He had two younger sisters, Doris Gertrude (1897-1931) and Kathleen Mary (1902-1997) two brothers, Arthur Henry (1898-1977) and Geoffrey Broadbent (1900 – 1975). His mother died in 1905 and his father married Marion Russell in 1907.Their sons Kenneth Russell, and James Henry, born in 1911 and 1913 respectively. Kenneth died in 1912 but James lived until 1976.

    When he was at school in Carlisle, the family was living at St. Cuthbert’s Vicarage as his father was Vicar there. He was Vicar of Kendal in 1909.

    By the time of the Great War the family had moved to Barrow-in-Furness where his father was Archdeacon. Eric’s father later became Vicar of Cartmel (1919) while remaining Archdeacon; then in 1923 he was made Vicar of Kendal and Archdeacon of Westmorland. After his retirement in 1931 he was made Archdeacon Emeritus. He lived at Hylands, Kendal and became a JP in 1934. He died in 1955.

    The information contained on this site is courtesy of Sue Sayers who wrote a book about this remarkable family. Eric’s Uncle Alexander Malins Lafone won the Victoria Cross. Eric’s Father was an Archdeacon and his Grandfather Henry amongst other things was a confederate agent working out of Liverpool then ran Butlers Wharf during the dock strike. There is a Lafone Street in London.