While walking in England I passed a small churchyard with a Commonwealth War Graves Commission sign at the entrance. The iconic CWGC headstone was near the front to the left of the path, on the other side was a war memorial. Two names at the bottom stopped me short — Pvt F John Lush and Pvt A William Lush, both of the 60th Battalion Canadians.
Were they brothers? Why were they on a Hampshire war memorial?
CWGC records soon provided the answer.
F J LUSH died 24 September 1916, age 28, buried at Contay British Cemetery, France.
ALFRED WILLIAM LUSH died 21 September 1916, age 25, commemorated on the Vimy Memorial.
Additional Information for both is “Son of Fred and Emma Lush, of Claypits, East Oakley, Basingstoke, Hants, England.”
The Lush brothers lived together in Toronto and enlisted in November 1915. Frederick John’s service file shows he was a policeman in Toronto, Alfred William’s that he was a clerk. They died within a few months of landing in France.
The dates indicate the Battle of Flers–Courcelette during the Battle of the Somme. There are grainy photos of the brothers at https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/81598
Two sons lost within a span of four days!
At the time of the 1911 census, Emma had given birth to 11 children, all living!
There must surely be descendants of some of the siblings.