Hi everyone. My name's Chris Lane (female, to save confusion) and I'm new to both genealogy and this forum. I'm busy trying to uncover lots of paternal family history as my father died when I was very young and we lost contact with his side of the family.

Fanny Jane is my grandmother. She was born and lived quite a lot of her life in Berry Hill in the Forest, before moving to Lords Hill. I can trace her in the electoral registers until 1921 but then she disappears. I know that she was still living in the Forest in the mid-50's and believe she was running what I think is a beer shop out of her home. I'm keen to find out the following:
- is there a change in the polling districts between 1921 and mid-1950's?
- is there somewhere I might be able to find licences for the beer shop? (Gloucestershire Archives only have them for beer houses in the late 1800's)
- do you have any other suggested ways of trying to trace her?

I also think she may have remarried (my grandfather died in 1911) in 1921 and become Fanny Jane Rickards/Richards - I'm currently awaiting a copy of the marriage certificate in the hope this will confirm/deny this. If she did remarry it was to Samuel Richard Rickards - but again, I can't trace him in the electoral registers beyond around 1921.

Apologies for having so many questions!

So, long message ends and a great many thanks to you all for reading and hopefully offering what help you can.

Kind regards
Chris

Good evening Chris, warm welcome to the forum & website.
No need to apologise for the questions ! It's good us to have specific questions & background information like this, reduces the likelihood of us spending time finding-out what you already know. Also "well-done" for getting this far as a beginner, we were all in your situation once.

Before I try to answer the questions, a quick look at my "go-to" websites FreeBMD & GlosBMD reveal the following;

As you found, from FreeBMD;

Surname First name(s) Mother/Spouse/Age District Vol Page
Marriages Mar 1921 (>99%)
Lane Fanny J Rickards Monmouth 11a 93
Rickards Samuel R Lane Monmouth 11a 93

(This means the Marriage was registered in the Quarter of Jan/Feb/March, FreeBMD records are always dated to the Quarter, not specific months.)
https://www.freebmd.org.uk/

GlosBMD confirms;

Marriage Details
Groom Surname Groom Forename Bride Surname Bride Forename District Parish Building Year Register Entry
RICKARDS Samuel Richard MARTIN Fanny Jane Forest of Dean Monmouth Register Office 1921 27 96
RICKARDS Samuel Richard LANE Fanny Jane Forest of Dean Monmouth Register Office 1921 27 96

http://ww3.gloucestershire.gov.uk/bmd/SimpleSearch.aspx

But sadly;

Surname First name(s) Mother/Spouse/Age District Vol Page
Deaths Mar 1925 (>99%)
Rickards Samuel R 62 Monmouth 11a 25

Death Details
Surname Given Names Age Year Died District Register Entry
RICKARDS Samuel Richard 62 1925 Monmouth, West Dean 3 422

However we can then find Fanny re-married;

Surname First name(s) Mother/Spouse/Age District Vol Page
Marriages Sep 1944 (>99%)
HOARE Charles W Rickards F. of Dean 6a 738
RICKARDS Fanny J Hoare F.of Dean 6a 738

GlosBMD confirms, and again tells us that Fanny's surname had previously been MARTIN.

Marriage Details
Groom Surname Groom Forename Bride Surname Bride Forename District Parish Building Year Register Entry
HOARE Charles Walter RICKARDS Fanny Jane Forest of Dean Forest of Dean Register Office 1944 7 175
HOARE Charles Walter MARTIN Fanny Jane Forest of Dean Forest of Dean Register Office 1944 7 175

Revisiting FreeBMD, searching a Fanny J MARTIN, finds this marriage which seems a good possibility given her birth c1882.

Surname First name(s) Age District Vol Page
Marriages Jun 1905 (>99%)
Lambert Frederick Vanderbert Monmouth 11a 42
Lane Alfred Ernest Monmouth 11a 42
MARTIN Fanny Jane Monmouth 11a 42
Price Annie Monmouth 11a 42

As the above FreeBMD record is pre-1911 we don't know for sure (yet) that Fanny married Alfred LANE (altho it seems likely given your startline info !).
Now we have a year we can search GlosBMD site for the same Marriage, which does confirm this important detail;

Marriage Details
Groom Surname Groom Forename Bride Surname Bride Forename District Parish Building Year Register Entry
LANE Alfred Ernest MARTIN Fanny Jane Forest of Dean Coleford St John the Evangelist 1905 1 425

This site's database has the corresponding Parish Records;

Record_ID: 39423
Entry_Number: 425
Year: 1905
Month: Jun
Day: 7
Grooms_Surname: LANE
Grooms_Forenames: Alfred Ernest
Grooms_Age: 25
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: Stone-cutter
Grooms_Residence: Low`s Hill Coleford
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: Lane
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: Alfred Oliver
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Gentleman
Brides_Surname: MARTIN
Brides_Forenames: Fanny Jane
Brides_Age: 22
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation:
Brides_Residence: Berry Hill
Brides_Fathers_Surname: Martin
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: William
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: Collier
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: Both sign
Witness_1: William Martin
Witness_2: Daisy Alhena Lane
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: G.Adsley Piper
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P 93 IN 1/11
Page_Number: 213
Parish_Chapel: Coleford
Soundex_Groom: L500
Soundex_Bride: M635

Record_ID: 102529
Entry_Number:
Year: 1880
Month: Apr
Day: 21
Parents_Surname: LANE
Child_Forenames: Alfred Ernest
Fathers_Forenames: Alfred Oliver
Mothers_Forenames: Emily
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Swansea
Occupation: Fancy Depositor
Officiating_Minister: H.Proctor Vicar
Event: Baptism
Memoranda: Born Feb 9 1880
Notes: [Joynes] has been crossed out and initialled H.P.
Register_Reference: P93 IN I/6
Page_Number: 132
Parish_Chapel: Coleford
Soundex: L525

Think he was born in Swansea as hinted above;

Surname First name(s) Age District Vol Page
Births Mar 1880 (>99%)
LANE Alfred Ernest Swansea 11a 666

It's frustrating that altho' I can find Alfred in the 1881 and 1901 Census', both times in Coleford area, I cannot find him or wife Fanny in the 1911 ??
https://www.familysearch.org/search/record/results?facetType=ON&query=%2Bgivenname%...

I'm also struggling to find Fanny's birth record with certainty on any website ?. Wonder if she was just Fanny Martin when born and adopted Jane later in life (this is a popular name set), or maybe she was registered/Baptised as Frances ???
There are quite a few Fanny and William Martins (father) in the area's BMD records at this time, yet cannot find them in the local Census' ??

---

This site's PRs do have this Baptism;

Record_ID: 104323
Entry_Number:
Year: 1908
Month: Nov
Day: 1
Parents_Surname: LANE
Child_Forenames: Herbert Sydney
Fathers_Forenames: Alfred Ernest
Mothers_Forenames: Fanny Jane
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Lord's Hill
Occupation: Quarry Foreman of Works
Officiating_Minister: E.H. Brice
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P93 IN 1/8
Page_Number: 58
Parish_Chapel: Coleford
Soundex: L500

Hopefully this agrees with your findings ?.

=====

Re your searching the Electoral Registers, does this mean you have access to one of the subscription websites ?.
If so then the next logical step would be to search the 1939 Register. I'm afraid I don't currently have that access.

Jeff

Fanny Jane Rickards is listed in the Ancestry electoral registers up to 1939.

Name: Fanny Jane Rickards
Residence Year: 1939
Street address: Breams Eaves, Bream
Parliamentary Division: Forest of Dean
Residence Place: Gloucestershire, England

(Adjacent to a Reginald Rickards)

In Autumn 1924 adjacent to Samuel Richard Rickards, 20 Council Houses, Parkend, Bream

In 1925 at Woodside, Bream, adjacent to George Rickards, Breams Eaves, Bream.

In 1926 adjacent to George Rickards, Breams Eaves, Bream

In 1928 Adjacent to George Rickards, Breams Eaves, Bream

In 1936, Lydney Road, Bream, adjacent to Reginald Rickards, Breams Eaves, Bream

I can’t yet identify her in the 1939 Register.

It seems Fanny Jane was prepared to intervene in an industrial dispute,

Gloucester Journal - Saturday 17 July 1926

Alleged Intimidation of Workers.

Tom Isaac James (50). Charles Hoare (44), and Fanny Jane Rickards, widow, all of Bream, were summoned by Inspector G. S. Williams for that they, with a view to compel John Fox and Albert J. Kear to abstain from an act which they had a legal right to do, to wit, to work as colliers, did unlawfully and without legal authority persistently follow the said John Fox and Albert J Kear about from place to place on June 22nd. They were similarly summoned in respect of two following dates. After a lengthy hearing the Chairman (Mr. W. A. Bennett) said the magistrates had had rather a difficult time. They realised that the days were critical, but at the same time they were anxious not to excite any feeling or to encourage any hostility outside the Court. They wanted to be just and at the same time generous. Defendants would be bound over in the sum of £10 to keep the peace for twelve months, and they would each have to pay two guineas costs, one of which would be reckoned solicitor's fee. Mr. Bennett added that he was a Forester himself, and he was proud of the way the miners in the district had behaved, and it was a great grief to him that the defendants should have overstepped the bounds. The police had done all in their power to preserve the peace. He hoped this case would be a warning to defendants and to all in the district. They had a good name in that district, and he hoped they would keep it.

Excellent info Mike, nicely ties-in "Firebrand" Fanny ;-) with Charles Hoare who she married in 1944.
Thanks !

---

Surname First name(s) Mother/Spouse/Age District Vol Page
Deaths Sep 1955 (>99%)
Hoare Charles W 69 F.of Dean 7b 312

Record_ID: 33473
Entry_Number: 165
Year: 1955
Month: Jul
Day: 16
Surname: HOARE
Forenames: Charles Walter
Residence: The Eaves Bream
Age_at_death: 69
Officiating_Minister: J.Wyn Davies
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P57 IN 1/19
Page_No: 21
Parish_Chapel: Bream
Soundex: H600

Record_ID: 167133
Entry_Number: 554
Year: 1886
Month: Jan
Day: 4
Parents_Surname: HOARE
Child_Forenames: Charles Walter
Fathers_Forenames: Thomas
Mothers_Forenames: Sarah
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: West Dean
Occupation: Collier
Officiating_Minister: G Holmes
Event: Baptism
Memoranda: B C Chapel Clements End Green
Notes:
Register_Reference: D2598 5/5
Page_Number:
Parish_Chapel: Forest of Dean Bible Christian
Soundex: H600

FamilySearch has;

1911 West Dean, Monmouth District, Monmouthshire, England
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Joseph James Head M 58 UNDERGROUND LABOURER. West Dean, Gloucestershire
Sarah James Wife F 58 West Dean, Gloucestershire
William Hoare Stepson M 27 WIDOWER.COAL MINER HEWER. West Dean, Gloucestershire
Arthur Hoare Grandson M 3 Pontnewynydd, Monmouthshire
Charles Hoare Stepson M 25 SINGLE BACHELOR.COAL MINER HEWER. West Dean, Gloucestershire
Violet James Daughter F 16 HOME WORK. West Dean, Gloucestershire
Leonard James Grandson M 10 West Dean, Gloucestershire
John Hughes Lodger M 76 WIDOWER. GARDENER DOMESTIC. Lydney, Gloucestershire

Chris, in case you wern't yet aware, the Census for the West Dean area such as Coleford and Bream were often considered to come under Monmouthshire's local government as the ancient county town of Monmouth is nearby, even though geographically West Dean was/is in Gloucestershire. The East Dean side of the Forest was traditionally governed from Westbury on Severn. Both Monmouth & Westbury were important towns for centuries before the Forest became heavily populated from the early 1800s onwards and towns like Coleford grew in size and importance.

1901 Lydney Lane, St James Parish, Newland (Gloucs), Monmouthshire, England
County Monmouthshire
West Dean, Monmouth District, Monmouthshire, England
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Joseph C James Head M 48 COAL MINER HEWER. Bream, Gloucestershire
Sarah Robins Wife F 48 Bream, Gloucestershire
William Hoare Son M 17 COAL MINER HEWER. Bream, Gloucestershire
Charles Hoare Son M 15 IRON ORE MINER. Bream, Gloucestershire
Beatrice M James Daughter F 10 SCHOLAR. Bream, Gloucestershire
Henry J James Son M 8 Bream, Gloucestershire
Voilet James Daughter F 6 Bream, Gloucestershire
Leonard James Grand Son M 0 Bream, Gloucestershire
Johm Hughes Boarder M 66 GENERAL LABOURER. Lydney, Gloucestershire

Not entirely sure without seeing this or the neighbouring Census images, but St James Parish suggests they are in Bream.

1891 West Dean, ST JAMES BREAM, Monmouth, Monmouthshire
Residence Note Drybrook
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Joseph James Head M 36 Labourer. Gloucestershire, England
Sarah James Wife F 35 Gloucestershire, England
Constance Hoare Daughter F 9 Gloucestershire, England
William Hoare Son M 7 Gloucestershire, England
Charles Hoare Son M 5 Gloucestershire, England
Beatrice James Daughter F 0 Gloucestershire, England

(Bit confused by the reference to Drybrook, which is in East Dean... ??)

========

Surname First name(s) Mother/Spouse/Age District Vol Page
Deaths Mar 1963 (>99%)
HOARE FANNY J 80 F.OF DEAN 7B 576

Record_ID: 33688
Entry_Number: 380
Year: 1963
Month: Jan
Day: 29
Surname: HOARE
Forenames: Frances Jane
Residence: Royal Oak The Pludds Ruardean
Age_at_death: 80
Officiating_Minister: P.Walton Vicar
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes: In this record given name listed as Fanny guess at Frances
Register_Reference: P57 IN 1/19
Page_No: 48
Parish_Chapel: Bream
Soundex: H600

Hoorah a pub to research !
A brief history of the Royal Oak is on Geoff Sandles' excellent GlosPubs site. It won't allow a direct link but entering "Pludds" into the search box and the entry is found immediately.
http://www.gloucestershirepubs.co.uk/AllGlosPubsDatabase/AllGlosPubs_view.php

Also see
https://forest-of-dean.net/fodmembers/index.php?mode=thread&id=19441#p19443

That GlosPubs entry tells us that in 1903 the Royal Oak's landlord was a William Henry Jones, he is my Great Grandfather on my dad's side. He was only there for a few years, but it's nice to be reminded of why I enjoy this forum so much !. He is just one of many William Jones in my dad's line, altho' we only knew of one, my dad, when we named our son William after him 21 years ago.

Thanks Chris for your post !!

Hi Mike,
I've just had a look for Fanny in the 1939 Register using Ancestry's free search engine. I don't have a sub so cannot be certain it's our lady, but they have a 1939 Record for a "FRANNY J RICKARDS" in Gloucestershire, please can you try that lead please ?.

If this is our Fanny, it will be interesting to know whether this is an error, or was she really known as Franny aka Frances, and not Fanny as most records suggest.

Good luck !

PS Trying FindMyPast I was pleasantly surprised that even without a sub we get enough info to know it's our lady, namely;

First name(s) Last name(s) Birth year Borough/District County Country
Franny J Hoare (Rickards) 1882 West Dean R.D. Gloucestershire England
Charles Hoare and 2 more people are on this record

https://www.findmypast.co.uk/search/results?datasetname=1939%20register&firstname=f...

Well done Jeff. The full entry reads,

West Dean, The Eaves

HOARE Charles, Male, born 5 Nov 1885, Single, Colliery Surface Worker
RICKARDS Franny J, Female, born 21 Aug 1882, Widow, Unpaid Domestic Duties

RICKARDS has been amended to HOARE with a date of 31-10-44 in the margin.

Also in the house are,

VOYCE, Mary A, Female, born 7 Jul 1857, Widow, Unpaid Domestic Duties
CRADDOCK, James, Male, born 17 May 1893, Single, Brick-Worker

In the Ancestry Electoral Registers she appears as HOARE Fanny J, The Eaves, Bream, up until 1962.

Ancestry Probate

Samuel Richard RICKARDS of Whitecroft Road, Breams Eaves, Gloucestershire died 20 March 1925

Probate Gloucester 8 April to Alexander Frederick PHILLIPS, Coal Miner. ***

Effects: : £13 18s.

FoD records

Alexander Frederick PHILLIPS is buried at Bream 2 February 1947 aged 52

From earlier post know that Fanny's second husband Samuel Richard Rickards died in 1925 aged 62, this FoD FH site has this PR;

Record_ID: 42168
Entry_Number: 232
Year: 1862
Month: Aug
Day: 3
Parents_Surname: RICKARDS
Child_Forenames: Samuel Richard
Fathers_Forenames: George
Mothers_Forenames: Sarah
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Bream
Occupation: Labourer
Officiating_Minister: Henry J Hoitt Curate
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P57 IN 1/3
Page_Number: 29
Parish_Chapel: Bream
Soundex: R263

As Mike's post showed the RICKARDS family were prominent in Bream area. Searching this forum shows a few threads which may be relevant, indeed only this week they were being discussed, see
https://forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=31374

This prior thread has much more detail about Samuel Richard Rickards b1862 and his immediate family.
http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=27260

Hi again,
wrt your query asking about researching beerhouse licenses, you've already done one of my suggestions which is to ask Glos Archives.

I've tried researching pub and beerhouse owners etc in the past, and I've not been too successful, at least not online. There seems to be several trade associations and suchlike that were set-up in the past but not sure there was a controlling overall body. These old posts of mine contain some pointers & links towards websites that MAY be of interest to you, hopefully you'll find them useful.

https://forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=40357

https://forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=38809

The above posts mention the GlosPubs website
http://www.gloucestershirepubs.co.uk/AllGlosPubsDatabase/AllGlosPubs_view.php

It's an excellent site altho can take a while to search thro it, I tried searching for "Lords Hill" and it gave two hits, both in Coleford, but don't look relevant to me. If you search "Coleford" you'll find sixty hits to browse thro'. It is possible to search landlords & ladies but my efforts using variations of Fanny/Frances Lane etc gave no hits so far... "Lane" alone gives hundreds, presumably as the word-search finds addresses as well. As far as I can see the landlords' names on the website have been complied from information such as old Census returns, trade directories, newspaper adverts and so on - as your enquiry is relatively recent that may explain my lack of success so far, but please try and search more thoroughly yourself.

Finally, I found this forum posting useful while researching the trades of Brewer and Malster.
https://www.british-genealogy.com/threads/37133-Malster

Also this excellent Herefordshire page.
https://htt.herefordshire.gov.uk/herefordshires-past/the-post-medieval-period/agricultu...

----

I noticed with some interest that the current edition of "Who Do You Think You Are ?" magazine has an article on researching publicans etc. However on browsing the magazine I found nothing I'd not seen before. In terms of reference websites it only gave one source, and that was one I'd have recommended anyway, the rest of the article generally tells us what can easily be found online such as the sites I've already suggested.
http://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/issue/december-2018

The magazine suggested researching the old newspapers, which is something I wholeheartedly recommend for all FH researchers. The British Newspaper Archive (BNA) site can be searched free-of-charge, and new users can get their first few downloads completely free. The BNA (like it's partner FindMyPast) has good coverage of local papers eg Gloucester Citizen etc, but NOT the Dean Forest Mercury, for these you must visit Cinderford library. However be warned the most recent newspapers held in the BNA archive are from the 1950s, which may limit your query.
See this post for more info and links; https://forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=49115

eg using the BNA free-search and looking for "Fanny Lane Coleford" I've found the following snippets of articles you may want to follow-up;

"INQUEST ON A CHILD. Dr R Macartney (Forest of Dean Coroner) conducted an inquiry Coleford Petty Sessional Court Room touching the death of William Ernest, the illegitimate child of Fanny Lane, a married woman living at Lord's Hill, Coleford ......."
Published: Thursday 28 April 1910
Newspaper: Gloucester Citizen
County: Gloucestershire, England

"Coleford Petty Sessions
... Royal Oak Inn, Fetter Hill, Coleferd, was summoned by Sergt Price for allowing children in the bar, whilst Reginald Hughes, Fanny Lane, and Lucy James were summoned for taking children into the bar on May 23rd. — Mr. F. C. Oilmour, of Lawford's Gate Licensed ...
Published: Saturday 12 June 1909
Newspaper: Gloucester Journal
County: Gloucestershire, England

"Coleford Police Court
... summoned by Fanny Lane, whose husbsnd died in France in September 1917, to show cause etc., in respect of her illegitimate child, born on the 25th August. 1917. — Mr. Lionel Lane, who appeared for defendant, contended that as the summons had not been taken ...
Published: Saturday 05 July 1919
Newspaper: Gloucester Journal
County: Gloucestershire, England

Hopefully this link will guide you to the above hits.
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1900-01-01/1949-12-31?basicsea...

I also tried searching Fanny (and Franny) Martin & then Rickards but no obvious hits, altho' be warned the BNA search engine often proves that "less is more", ie if you enter less words in the search box, and then use the filters to narrow-down the timespan (eg 1910s only) and area or newspaper, then browse thro all the hits, you may hit gold. I've often found family that way who I previously hadn't found by entering what seemed like perfectly correct longer terms in the search box.

However be warned, those old papers loved reporting on sad aspects of life, almost all of us Foresters will probably find unpleasant and sad information about our ancestors, they were truly hard times. Sorry I didn't find (yet!) anything about her beerhouse.

----

I've tried searching in Heather Hurley's excellent book "Pubs of the Royal FoD", not easy as it only indexes the name of the pubs, not people. The book shows there have been at least 43 pubs & beerhouses in the centre part of Coleford town in the past, but only one on Lord's Hill, the Plough. It would have been overlooking where Bells Club is now, and unlike many of those listed it was still trading in the mid 1930s if not later. I'll read the whole chapter in case there's a mention of Fanny, but in my experience most of the landlords the book names are also quoted in the GlosPubs website I searched earlier... but then again you didn't say for sure Fanny's beerhouse was in Coleford, never mind Lord's Hill, or have I misunderstood ?

???

atb J

Full text of one of those BNA links:

Coleford. INQUEST ON A CHILD. Dr. 11. Macartney (Forest of Dean Coroner) conducted an inquiry Coleford Petty Sessional Court Room touching the death of William Ernest, the illegitimate child of Fanny Lane, a married woman living at Lord's Hill. Coleford. The death took place on Sunday, April 24th. Fanny Lane (36) said she was the wife of Alfred Ernest Lane, a foreman mason working the railway in West Africa. Witness had two other children. When her husband came home on September 15th last year knew witness was enceinte. She made a confession to him, and he forgave tier before returning to his in December. The deceased was born on April Ist. Deceased usually slept in the same bed as witness. Witness woke about 7.30 on Sunday morning, and found the child dead. Witness had lain with her back towards deceased. His face was on the pillow, and the bed clothes were round his moutii Witness was quite sober when she went bed on Saturday night.—Dr. H. C. MaeQuaide said the child was weH nourished and was not suffering from any disease. In witness's opinion death was the result of suffocation. There were marks of violence about the Ivody, but when witness first saw it the fa looked rather flattened, whilst two boura later the face looked different, which would suggest that there had been heavy pressure its face, or that it had been lying on the fact and that the weight was at the back of the head. It was possible for the mother her sleep have overlain the child and brought about this condition.—The Coroner said the practice letting a child sleep with the parents was one that could not be too much deprecated The child had died v death of violence, but how it was there was not sufficient evidence say.—The jury were of opinion that death was accidental, and there was no criminal neglect on the part of the mother.

--
Peter

This is just a quick post to say thank you so much to everyone who has posted the incredibly helpful (and slightly disturbing) information you have found for me. You've helped me move forward massively in such a short time. I'll respond to each of your posts as soon as I can.
Best wishes
Chris

From Ancestry, UK Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960, this could be Alfred returning from West Africa,

Name: Alfred Ernest Lane [of Coalway, Coalford, Glos, Inspector of Works]
Arrival Age: 35
Birth Date: abt 1881
Port of Departure: Africa [Forcados,Nigeria]
Arrival date: 19 Feb 1916
Port of Arrival: Liverpool, England
Ports of Voyage: Douala; Calabar; Bonny; Forcados; Lagos; Lome; Accra; Cape Coast; Sekondi; Dakar; Plymouth, Devon, England
Ship Name: Karina
Shipping line: African Steamship Company Ltd
Official Number: 120573

From Ancestry Military Records, UK, Commonwealth War Graves, 1914-1921 and 1939-1947,

LANE, Serjt. Alfred Ernest 162026. Railway Labour Coy. Royal Engineers. Drowned 20th Sept. 1917. Age 36. Husband of Fanny J Lane, of Lord’s Hill, Coleford, Glos. VIII. I. 37.

UK, Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects, 1901-1929

LANE, Alfred Ernest
30th Ry. Lab. Bn.
20.9.17 Accidentally drowned, France
Credits £8 7s 11d
Date of Authority 4.2.18
Authorised to Widow, Fanny J
Amount Authorised £8 7s 11d

Hi Jeff
Many thanks for all of the really helpful info you've posted. The reason you can't find Alfred Ernest Lane in the 1911 census is because he was by then working in West Africa - as you've no doubt she since seen. I have yet to go and look at his service history but I assume this was during his time in the Army. The collective help I've received means I've tracked down the newspaper articles you kindly gave me links to, and have also been able to find exactly where the Royal Oak was and currently is. Thank you so much for all your help and I'll no doubt be in touch soon.
Kind regards
Chris

Hi Mike
This is both fascinating and really helpful. I knew his date and place of death but had no idea of the reason or the payment.

The collective help I've received means I have been able to track Fanny and have found the Royal Oak - even on street view. I shall be taking a look soon!

Thanks so much for your help - I'll no doubt be in touch again soon.

Kind regards
Chris

Thanks Peter.
What a sad story, and one that's not that unusual even today...

More information regarding Sgt Lane's last resting place here;
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/47593/lane,-alfred-ernest/

Despite it's overwhelming size the Boulogne Cemetery is beautifully kept and well worth visiting, just one of a few in the Boulogne area due to the close proximity of several WW1 hospitals.

https://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/4800/boulogne-eastern-cemetery/