DONALD ELSWORTH LAX

RANK: Private.

SERVICE NUMBER: 235924.

REGIMENT: 9th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own).

BORN: Leeds.

ENLISTED: York.

GAVE HIS LIFE: 05/11/1918.

AGED: 21.

CEMETERY: Valenciennes (St Roch) Communal Cemetery

GRAVE /PANEL: III. B. 19.

LEEDS MODERN: 1909-1911.

Donald was the son of Henry Born Leeds 1864 and Emily Elsworth Rawson Born Leeds 1864 they married at Leeds in 1887.

Donalds middle name came from his mum, on leaving Leeds Boys Modern Donald became a Cadet in the Merchant Navy in Hull, he travelled the world and contracted malaria in India, and as a result gave up this career.

Donald started to work as a motor engineer and enlisted in 1915 into the Yorkshire Hussars Service Number 3232, Donald served in France with this Regiment until it was transferred to the West Yorkshire Regiment in 1917.

Donald sadlylost his life six days before the Armistace was declared near the the village of Sebourg France the scene of fighting in November 1918 during the crossing of the river Aunelle.

In the July edition of the "Owlet" the school magazine Mrs Lax had donated the sum of £3.00 pounds towards the cost of a War Memorial Tablet which was to be unvailed in 1922.

The CWGC shows the following details:

"Son of Henry and Emily Elsworth Lax, of "Ivy Dene," Harehills Lane, Leeds."

"Rest in Peace"


A special thank You to Pauline Franklin of New Zealand who is a distant relative of Donald for providing the above picture of his final resting place,taken by her daughter in June 2006.