Driver Ernest Kirkland (Pool)

T4/045141 Army Service Corps

Born 30th May 1890 Beckstones. Died Sept 1972 aged 82 in Surrey

Son of John and Sarah (nee Pool) Kirkland from Beckstones and Deepdale Bridge

Cousin of Frederick, Albert & Joseph Kirkland, and John Pool

Albert Kirkland was born in 1888 and baptised Ernest Kirkland Pool at Patterdale Church on the 29th June that year. At the time his parents were not married so he is shown in the Parish Registers as being baptised at “Ernest Kirkland Pool”. By the time Ernest’s sister was born in June 1891 Sarah and John Kirkland had married. Sarah was the Aunt of John Edward Pool, and John was the Uncle of Frederick Kirkland, Joseph and Albert Kirkland. By the time his sister Elizabeth was born Ernest and his parents were living at the Kirkland Farm at Beckstones alongside his cousins, including Frederick Kirkland, who was born in 1892.

Young Ernest would have attended Patterdale School alongside his cousins. Ernest’s father John died in 1907 whilst the family were still at Beckstones and we believe his mother, young Ernest and sister Elizabeth then loved to Deepdale Bridge. After leaving School Ernest worked as a Farm Labourer and by 1911 was working for the Bell family at Grove Farm in Ambleside.

We do not have a copy of Ernest’s service record but believe that he probably served in the war under the name he was christened with, Ernest Pool, and it is likely that he enlisted alongside his cousins Frederick and Albert into the Army Service Corps as a Driver. Again although we know that his cousin Frederick served (and sadly died) in Flanders and his Albert served in Egypt, we can’t say for certain where Ernest served.

Likewise at the moment we are unsure what became of Ernest after the war but we believe that he died in September 1972 in Surrey at the age of 82. He is remembered on the Glenridding Village Hall Roll of Honour alongside his cousins, John Pool, Frederick, Joseph and Albert Kirkland. We know from John Pool’s son Eddie (who still lives in Patterdale) that “Ernie” used to come back to the village on a regular basis and would often go fishing with John.

In terms of the rest of his family his sister Elizabeth had by 1911 moved to Grayrigg in Ambleside, close to where Ernest was living, where she worked as a servant for the family of William Pattinson, who was related to the “Patterdale Pattinsons”. We believe Elizabeth then married a George H Bowness in Kendal in 1916, and died in December 1958 at the age of 67.

Ernest’s mother Sarah had remarried in October 1912 to widower James Henry Bowness, a farmer from Spital Farm, Lupton. She died in 1952 whilst living at Fleet Farm in Kirkby Lonsdale and was buried at St Patricks Church Patterdale on the 22nd August 1952.

If you can provide any further information on the life of Ernest or his family then please let us know.

Notes on the Fallen Contact Us Roll of Honour

What we believe may be a copy of Ernest’s Medal Card under his christened name of Ernest Pool.

Ernest’s cousin, Frederick Kirkland, Field Ambulance Royal Army Service Corps who died in March 1918 in Flanders