WW2

On this page I list those who gave their lives in World War 2, plus one who was killed in the Spanish Civil War.  A child page has war stories of survivors.

World War Two

British

L/Cpl. Alexander Lobban (abt 1911–1940) 2927665 of the 555 Field Coy., Royal Engineers, and John Lobban (1912–1943), from Kingussie, Inverness-shire, were sons of Alexander Lobban and Mary Ann McBain. Alex was a joiner by trade and died in a motor accident while on active service; he had been married for only 10 months and perhaps never saw his son, Mowatt Alexander Lobban. John Lobban’s death is more of a mystery: Syd Lobban read his parents headstone in Kingussie, which includes the words:- “and Jack, who died on Active Service on the 12 Sept 1943 aged 31 years.” Syd was unable to find any record of a John/Jack Lobban dying in action, but a Private J. Lobban No 2930178 of the Cameron Highlanders, “died in a state of Desertion” in South Africa during 1940 aged approx 32 years of age. If anyone knows the truth of his fate, please let me know.  (tree)

Alexander Simpson Lobban (1921–1941), b. Perth, Perthshire, son of Peter Anderson Lobban and Isabella Robertson Simpson. The Royal Armoured Corps list of War Casualties includes Trooper No 79017, Alexander Lobban aged 20 born Scotland, died on 9th December 1941 at sea whilst a Prisoner of War. (tree)

Charles Lobban (1910–1940), LT/X 4043 RNR,  b. Buckie, Banffshire, was lost at sea off Dunkirk, 1 June 1940, during the evacuation of the Allied soldiers. He was 29 years old. He was the son of William Wilson Lobban  (holder of a DSM for service in the RNR aboard Frigate Bird) and Helen Jane Reid. Charles was a Stoker in the Royal Naval Reserve (Patrol Service) and died while serving in HM Trawler Argyllshire. He is remembered on a memorial stone in Lowestoft Naval Cemetery. (tree)

Pte. David Maxwell Lobban (1919–1944), 2932272 5th Batallion, The Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders. Killed in action 13 Jun 1944, age 25, during the Battle of Normandy. The Allied D-day Landing at Normandy, France, began on the 6th of June 1944. Bayeux was the first town to be
liberated and David was probably killed during the action. He was born in Renton, Dumbartonshire, son of Peter Lobban and Katherine Maxwell, and had just married Isabella Mary Ross of Inverness. David is remembered in the Bayeux War Cemetery, Calvados, France (Grave Ref XX1V. F. 22). His uncle–Peter’s brother, John Wilkie Lobban was killed in the Spanish Civil War (see below). (tree)

Ian Cook Lobban (1898–1941), b. St. Nicholas, Aberdeen, son of George Cruickshank Lobban and Helen Calder McDonald Cook. Ian was the 2nd engineer on the M.V. Anonity (London), Merchant Navy, when he died on 4th March 1941 aged 43, and is remembered in Tower Hill Memorial Cemetery, Panel 9, London. Anonity (1936) was a coastal trading vessel (coaster) that struck a mine and sank in the North Sea 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km) south east of Skegness Pier, Lincolnshire with the loss of four of her six crew (source). (tree)

Excerpt from UK, Commonwealth War Graves records showing two Lobban Merchant Seamen who died in 1941.

James Talbert Lobban (1876–1941), b. Kingston-on-Thames, torpedoed off Iceland 18 Feb 1941. He was the son of Annie Talbert (d. 1880) and Alexander Lobban (d. 1903). After Annie died, Alex remarried and the family resettled in  Hebburn, Durham where Rev. Alex was minister of the Presbyterian Church from 1882 to 1903. James had retired as a Merchant Seaman but returned to sea as Chief Engineer to help in the North Atlantic convoys. He was on the Black Osprey off Iceland when his ship, which had fallen behind its convoy in heavy seas, was sunk by a German torpedo. The captain and 25 crew members were lost, 11 survived nearly frozen to death in one of the lifeboats.  (Complete details of the sinking.) The U-boat U-96 was captained by Heinrich Lehman-Willenbrock and claimed 24 ships, over 170,000 tonnes. Willenbrock was highly decorated, and the film Das Boot was based on his career. James Talbert Lobban is remembered  on the Tower Hill Memorial in London, Panel 17. James was my great uncle. (tree)

James Talbert Lobban (seated second from left). Undated photo. Name of ship unknown, but it was not the RMS Queen Mary! (This was a nautical joke.) Photo and story courtesy of Peter McLeod.

Canadian

Cpl. George Henry Lobban (1922–1944), L/6046, Regina Rifle Regiment, R.C.I.C., died on Sunday 8th October 1944 aged 22 years, and is buried in a military cemetery in Belgium. He was the son of James Lobban (m. Lillian Duncan), who emigrated to Saskatchewan in 1910. [James’ brother Robert Lobban had emigrated to Ontario in 1912 and was killed in WW1 (q.v.).] (tree)

Australian

Flying Offr. John Gordon Lobban, 423771 (1911–1944), b. in Horsham Rural City, Victoria, son of Robert and Marion Lobban, married to Nina Fisken, was killed in a flying accident in Australia. According to a newspaper article at the time, “It is alleged that John had been attending the Flemington races in Melbourne with a friend, and while flying a plane back to his training base in NSW that evening, unfortunately they crashed.” His headstone in Springvale War Cemetery, Melbourne, Victoria has the Identity Number 1.P.B.16. (tree)

South African

Sgt. Frederick D. Lobban (1912–1945), 29815V, 11 Field Coy., South African Engineer Corps, was the son of William Alexander Lobban and Elizabeth Taylor Gourlay, who had emigrated to Johannesburg, Transvaal sometime between 1901 and 1912.  Fred died in Ravenna, Italy on 12 April 1945 aged 33. He was husband of Winifred M of Johannesburg. He is buried in the Ravenna War Cemetery, Italy, Grave Ref. No. I.C.7.  (tree)

Spanish Civil War

Pte John Wilkie Lobban (in Territorial Army uniform, before going to Spain)

John Wilkie Lobban (1904–1938), b. Dumbarton was the son of Peter Lobban and Mary Cutherbertson.  John was a machine gun company quartermaster; he arrived in Spain and enlisted with the International Brigades 4 Feb 1937. He fought at Jarama and at Brunete, where he was slightly injured, and was killed 23 Sep. 1938 in the Battle of the Ebro. He is reported to have been shot in the spine and paralyzed. He had lived in Alexandria, Dumbartonshire prior to enlistment and had married Helen Livingstone in 1934. He had served in the Scottish Territorial Army. He left a son of the same name, b. 1931. John was Malcolm’s uncle. (tree)

 

Page by Christopher S Lobban, posted 29 Nov. 2018, revised 4 June 2019.