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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Stanislaus Calhaen


Gareth Davies

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75613 Gnr Stanislaus Calhaen served in C Bn Tank Corps and he was killed in Action 31 July 1917. But who was he? He wasn't the actor, that man was born in 1838. He could be Stanislaus Edward Calhaen who was born in 1873. SDGW says he was born in Clapham and that he originally served as 3369 SC in the London Irish Rifles. Any ideas please?

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Strangely the only 4 records that showed up on FMP under that spelling of his name were all military.

Could this be him from the 1891 census? (Image courtesy FMP)

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Could Stanislaus Edmund (b 1874) and Stanislaus Edward (b 1873) be the same person?

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I note that he has two MIC - both reference S. CALHAM.

I wonder if there is any milage in checking for other military/other records using that CALHAM surname??

M

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Soldiers' Effects has his sole legatee as Roma Cholmondeley.  She appears on his medal card c/o Mrs Everitt, 19a Church Walk, Kensington.

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Roma Cholmondeley appears to be a stage name. She gets a mention in April 1914, appearing in Staffordshire in the comedy Tantrums, presented by Mr. Stanislaus Calhaen.  In 1915, a Roma Cholmondeley is mentioned in the newspaper "Truth".

"Since her conviction and sentence to four months' imprisonment at the Huntingdon Assizes in 1912 for an offence under the Debtors' Act I have heard little of the wife of a medical student named Rodgers, who, styling herself Lady Mercia Somerset, victimised tradesmen in various parts of the country. She has, I hear, recently put in an appearance at Epsom, passing under the name of Roma Cholmondeley and the traders of the neighbourhood will be well advised to insist upon strictly cash transactions with her ladyship."

The newspapers cover her incredibly long criminal career in detail. Her name was also given as Avis Fitzroy  

She has many Ancestry entries such as the one below;

Roma.jpg.2df85ccdf6437b2d7c6cbbf2dcad7a44.jpg

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5 minutes ago, IPT said:

Soldiers' Effects has his sole legatee as Roma Cholmondeley.

Will at the Probate Service.

Couldn't find any attempt at a pension claim under CALHAEN or CALHAM

M

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Good sleuthing IPT. She was born in Malta.

1 minute ago, Matlock1418 said:

Will at the Probate Service.

Couldn't find any attempt at a pension claim under CALHAEN or CALHAM

M

Thank you.

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Seems he was a bit like 'Roma Cholmondeley' -- he appeared in court at Brighton on 22nd June 1914 (image courtesy of Find My Past)

Calhaen.jpg

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Thank you.

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8 minutes ago, Gareth Davies said:

She was born in Malta.

I'm not even sure that's true. She is the Avis Somerset that is married to Lionel Somerset alias Read on the 1911 census, claiming that she was born c1866 in Chatham, Kent.

I believe that she was born as Maud Read c1866. 

She and her husband, along with their children, were an entire family of habitual criminals over at least three decades. She and her daughter were both clearly able to pass themselves off as nobility, so it's no wonder that Stanislaus cast her in his production. I hope he wasn't any more involved than that.

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The elder Stanislaus?

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1 hour ago, Gareth Davies said:

Could Stanislaus Edmund (b 1874) and Stanislaus Edward (b 1873) be the same person?

By 1911 he was even younger b 1876 (Image courtesy FMP)

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OR are they completely different families?

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It would appear they are different people as Stanislaus E Calhaem b 1874 didn't die until 1956... (courtesy FMP)

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To add to the confusion Stanislaus Edmund Calhiem was baptised in 1883 and his father was a comedian, mother Fanny Emily. If that was the 1876 man then was he also the one to have died in 1956? (Image FMP)

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You would think that with such a rare name he would be easy to track. 

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2 minutes ago, Gareth Davies said:

You would think that with such a rare name he would be easy to track. 

It gets even more strange as there appears to be no trace of any of them in 1921 or 1939...

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Found the 1876 man in 1901 census miss indexed under Calhoun (look carefully at the original record it appears to be Calhaem) [Images FMP]

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But then switching to Ancestry (Image credit) a Stanislaus Calhaem turns up in 1940 

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Oh.

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And in 1953 Stanislaus E Calhaem is living with his brother John (credits Ancestry)

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Apologies Gareth if you are now as confused as I am, sorry!!

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:D

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1 minute ago, DavidOwen said:

Could one of his brothers have enlisted using his name?

Theatrical & Musical Deaths

  CALHAEM   Lionel -son of Stanislaus Calhaen-   1918     Actor (Killed in action)
  CALHAEM   Stanislaus   26 May 1901   78   Actor
  CALHAEM   Mrs Stanislaus   27 May 1911   69   Actress

Lionel Septimus Calhean was born in 1880. He appears with the family on the 1881 census but then vanishes.

Could he be Lionel Somerset, Roma's husband and criminal sidekick?

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As the father (acknowledged actor / comedian) died in 1901 then references in the newspapers to plays etc featuring Stanislaus Calhaem must refer to the younger man.

Those newspaper articles cease in 1914 (image courtesy FMP)

image.png

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