Bonar Law's sons

[Messina1915]

Andrew Bonar Law, Chancellor of the Exchequer in the wartime coalition and later Prime Minister in 1922-23, lost two sons in 1917.

The reason for this post (and the question for Terry) centres on their CWGC records. The elder of the brothers, James, is simply listed as Law, while his younger brother Charles's surname is given as Bonar Law. A biography of their father I have read states that all his children were simply Law - none of them had Bonar in their names.

I know that normally an error in a name on a CWGC record has to be proven with birth/death certificates but given that his brother's name is given simply as Law, could Charles's record be changed without these?

If it can't be done, then I'm not that bothered, but I thought that if it could be changed with little fuss it might be worth raising the issue. I'm quite happy to scan the relevant passage in the book if necessary.

Here are links to the CWGC records for James and Charles.

Cheers,

Carole.

[Terry Denham]

Carole

You have to remember that CWGC records the name by which the person was known in the armed forces - not necessarily the same as the family name etc.

You would have to show that he did not use 'Bonar Law' himself - possibly with his service record/MIC etc.

[Messina1915]

Thanks Terry for the response - if I ever get to Kew I will try to have a look at his service record and maybe then if that says simply "Law" then it could be changed. Cheers, Carole.

[PPCLI]

You would have to show that he did not use 'Bonar Law' himself - possibly with his service record/MIC etc.

Neither his MIC nor his entry in the index of service files (WO 339/10066) mentions Bonar - both just Lieut C J Law. He is also listed as 'plain' Lieut. Charles John Law in The History of the 5th Batt. King's Own Scottish Borderers by Capt GF Scott-Elliot. His full entry reads:

Lieut. Charles John Law. Joined the Battalion on 18th December, 1916, and was killed at Gaza on 19th April, 1917; aged 20 years and 2 months. The second son of the Prime Minister (the Right Hon. A. Bonar Law). He was educated at Eton College, and at Christmas, 1913, was studying at Weimar, and arrived home thirty-six hours before the declaration of war.

Stuart

[Terry_Reeves]

The family name was Law. James's middle name, Kidston, was his grandmother's maiden name. The 1901 census does not mention the name "Bonar" in Charles John's entry.

TR