Sir Lawrence Andrew Common (31 March 1889 – 6 April 1953) was a British shipping director.England & Wales Deaths Index 1953, June quarter, "Common, Lawrence A.", Northumberland West, volume 1b, page 394Edmundbyers Monumental Inscriptions
Common was born in

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

, County Durham, the son of Francis James Common (1847–1903), an iron merchant from

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

, and his wife, Annie Elizabeth (née Walford) of

Banbury, Oxfordshire Banbury is a historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshire ...

. His aunt, Emma Jane Common, was the wife of the

Nonconformist Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...

divine, Joseph Parker. In 1911, he joined the Territorial Army as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the 3rd Northumbrian (County of Durham) Brigade of the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...

retiring at the end of the war with the rank of Major and he was appointed a Companion of the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

in 1917 for his services during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In the

1945 New Year Honours The 1945 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1945 for the British ...

, Common was appointed a

knight bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

for his work with the Ministry of War Transport during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and knighted at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

in 1945. He was also appointed a Commander of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, for his services to her country during the war. In 1952, Common was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

and High Sheriff of that county in 1953, having previously been nominated in 1950 and 1952. In 1923, Common had married Bessie Reid Pollock (1895–1959), a daughter of Gilbert Reid Pollock (1865–?), an iron engineer from

Neilston Neilston ( sco, Neilstoun, gd, Baile Nèill, ) is a village and parish in East Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is in the Levern Valley, southwest of Barrhead, south of Paisley, and south-southwest of Renfrew, at t ...

, Renfrewshire, and his wife, Annie (née Blackwell) of

Hyde, Cheshire Hyde is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, which had a population of 34,003 in 2011. Historically in Cheshire, it is northeast of Stockport, west of Glossop and east of Manchester. History Early history Newton Hall was prese ...

. They had three children, Joyce A. (born 1924), Elizabeth A. (born 1926) and Gilbert A. (born 1930).England & Wales Births Index 1930, June quarter, Sunderland, volume 10a, page 1102 Common died in 1953 and was buried in

Edmundbyers Edmundbyers is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated a few miles to the west of Consett, near Derwent Reservoir, North East England, Derwent Reservoir. In 2001 it had a population of 118. The civil parish of Edmondbyers had a pop ...

, County Durham, near to his home, Hunter House on the banks of Derwent Reservoir. His wife was later interred with him upon her death in 1959.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Common, Andrew 1889 births 1953 deaths Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Deputy Lieutenants of Durham High Sheriffs of Durham Knights Bachelor Royal Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War I People from Sunderland Businesspeople from Tyne and Wear Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates