Robert Ernest Rollings - Canadian WWI/II Veteran

[valeriec]

I just checked the 1921 census for Malton and found the parents Thomas and Frances on York St. but didin't find Ernest and Elizabeth
Ontario/Peel/Subdistrict 30 Toronto Township? page 10, lines 1 and 2
Have you contacted the Scarborough library to ask for an obituary lookup.

[barryd]

Many thanks for all of your help. The background of the Rollings family in Canada was new to me as I was concentrating on the English side and the Russian side of Elizabeth's second husband. Not one "message board post" of the ones on the Internet have any knowledge of the second husband of Elizabeth. I was hoping that some relatives of the Rollings, especially in Canada would be RootsChatters but there has been no response yet.

Sandra indicates the marriage as:

Robert E Rollings  to Herman  Lanchester  10a 797
Elizabeth Herman  to Rollings  Lanchester  10a 797

Which breaks down to:

1st Marriage Elizabeth Wood/Thomas Hudson Jun Qtr. 1914, Lanchester.  Gunner Thomas Hudson killed 22 October 1916, Contalmaison, France.

2nd Marriage the now widow Elizabeth Wood Hudson marries Private Arthur C. Herman, Canadian Infantry,  Dec Qtr. 1917, Lanchester. Arthur C. Herman died Warrington, Lancashire, 1 April 1918. In Warrington there was a "shell shock" hospital. This is possibly why he died there. His body is brought to Harelaw, County Durham and is buried there with a Commonwealth War Graves Commission marker. Arthur's birthplace is Mohil(i)ev, Russia (now Belarus). Parents Benjamin and Pearl Herman emigrated to New York City with Arthur. Then Arthur alone moved to Canada where he was a Cheesemaker. The marriage lasted a maximum of 6 months and a minimum of 3 months, possibly the latter if the marriage occurred at Christmas leave time 1917.   

3rd Marriage widow  Elizabeth Wood Hudson Herman married Robert Ernest Rollins 28 April 1919 at St. Thomas, C of E Parish of Collierley, Harelaw, County Durham. The church is 100 yards + from the grave of Arthur.

The question remains how did Arthur (a Russian born, New York raised Private Soldier in the Canadian Army) get to County Durham and marry Elizabeth. I believe it may have been a act of kindness by (friend) Robert Rollings taking him on leave with him. Then Robert married his widow who he probably knew at the time of her marriage. 
 

[valeriec]

It appears that your main request is about Arthur Herman. Your best bet to get some answers would be his military file. The file will have where he was at all times in England. Where he was stationed and when, his dates of leave, his time in military hospitals and where, transfers between battalions. The files are very precise.
There are two sets of Attestation Papers for Arthur Herman.
Reg. # 171785
83rd Battalion
b. 24 Nov. 1885, Russia
NOK - Pearl Herman, Mother, 743 N 26th St. Philadelphia, PA
enlisted Aug 7, 1915, Toronto
he was fit for duty so only his military file will tell why he re-enlisted in 1916

Reg. # 775632
126th Overseas Battalion
address 168 Spadina Ave. Toronto
b. Russia
father Benjamin Herman
731 N 26th St. Philadelphia, PA
b. Nov 24, 1886
enlisted 21 Jan 1916, Toronto

On his Attestation Papers it states he transferred from 126th BN to 234th BN on 5/9/16.

I went back to Ernest Rollings Attestation Papers and the BN wasn't listed on it so I went to the list of Regimental numbers given to the battalions in WW1 and his Reg # is for the 234th Battalion. so at some point they were in the same battalion. It was also listed on his Attestation Papers that he was not to be sent overseas until after his 19th birthday.

[Adam Saunders]

does anyone have any photos of Elizabeth or Arthur Herman ? From his service file - Private Arthur Herman 775632 died on 1 April 1918 while int he hospital in England. He had been transferred to the 3rd and shows as a 3rd Bn casualty.

He attested with the 126th in Toronto on 21 January 1916 at 29 years of age. He was born on 24 November 1886 in Mohlup Russia and listed his next of kin at his father Benjamin who resided at 731 N 26th St Philadelphia. His calling was that of a cheesemaker, who was not married. He was 5' 2 1/2" 125lbs with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. His address in Toronto was 168 Spadina Ave.

While undergoing training in Canada he had some trouble adapting to military life as he was given 7 days confined to barracks, 28 days detention and 7 days CB for refusing guard duty. He was AWL for 5 days also. Between 21 July 1916 and 5 Sept 1916 he was in Kapuskasing Hospital for a hernia. As a result of his troubles he was transferred to the 234th Bn prior to going to England.

He departed Canada from Halifax on 18 April 1917, and arrived in Liverpool England aboard the SS Scandanavian on 1 May 1917 and was sent to the 12th Res Bn with the majority of his mates, at East Sandling.

In mid-November 1917 he was to be sent to the 3rd Bn but was given permission to marry Mrs. Elizabeth Rollings of 50 Annfield Place, Annfield Plain, Durham England, before he left for France on 12 Nov 1917. In late-December 1917 he was taken in by 12 Cdn Fd Amb and sent to No. 18 CCS. He was PUO (pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO) refers to a condition in which the patient has an elevated temperature (fever) but despite investigations by a physician no explanation has been found.)

On 27 Jan 1918 he was diagnosed as having epilepsy and within a month diagnosed as having a mild nervous breakdown. He was hopsitalized for in early March for "mental observation and was SOS'd from the 3rd and put into a Labour Pool on 18 March 1918 in England. On 21 March 1918 a doctor noted that he was "mentally inaccesible." On 26 March 1918 he was considered seriously ill and sent to Lord Derby War Hospital in Warrington, where he died as a result of cardiac failure. Itis noted in his medical file, in some detail that he had breakfast at 8am, egg, milk and some tea. At 9:30am he collapsed with no struggle.His cardfiac was sow and he died a few minutes later. It seems as though he was to be returned to Canada, but died prior to leaving England. He is buried in Stanley (Harelaw) Cemetery, Durham, United Kingdom.