http://www.laidman.org/ps02_132.htm
1891 Feb 16, born Tynemouth
1901 census at The Avenue (St. Johns Villa), Shirley, Southampton
1911 census at Hampshire, Southampton, Claremont, The Avenue
1914 Aug 5. Enlisted overseas into the Royal Naval Voluntary Reserve. Promoted Leading Seaman
1914 Oct 9 Fought at Antwerp with the Royal Naval Division.
1915 Jan 21. Commissioned Temporary 2nd Lt Royal Field Artillery
1915 May 8. orders were received for 50th Brigade RFA to proceed by rail to Southampton to embark for active service. John Head Laidman is mentioned with D/50 Battery on May 9th as 2Lt Temp. In company with two other 2Lts Temp. The whole Brigade consisted of 24 officers, 700 “O.R.”, 650 horses and 73 mules.
1915 May 10 the Brigade detrained at Southampton docks, and D/50 Battery embarked on SS. Archimedes at about 10 a.m. They sailed at about 6 p.m. and had an uneventful crossing on a calm night, without casualties, landing in Le Havre and disembarking about 7 a.m. the next morning.
1915 May 28 , “2Lt J.H. Laidman detached to School of Trench Mortars at St. Venant for instruction.”
1915 Nov Posted to France
1915 Dec 8. Promoted Temporary Lt
1916 May 2. Promoted Acting Capt.
1916 Dec 20. Relinquishes A/Captaincy on ceasing to command Trench Mortar Battery
1916 Jun 14. Married Lilian Gordon. Wedding was recorded in the Southern Daily Echo of 15 June 1916: War Wedding at Southampton The wedding took place, yesterday, at St. Mark's Church, Southampton, very quietly, of Captain John Head Laidman, R.F.A., son of Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Laidman, of Claremont, The Avenue, Southampton, and Miss Lilian Gordon, youngest daughter of the late Mr. Kyrle Earnly Gordon, of Aberdeen House, Lyminge, Kent. Owing to the war, and the bridegroom being on special leave from the front, only members of the family were present at the ceremony, which was performed by the Rev. E.L. Franklin, vicar. The bride was married in her travelling dress, and was attended by Miss Laidman as bridesmaid. Mr. James D. Snowdon was best man. The bridal party subsequently motored to Winchester for the wedding breakfast, after which Captain and Mrs. Laidman left for a brief honeymoon in Kent. Captain Laidman will return to his duties at the front in the course of a few days.
1917 Jan 1 New Year Honours, Gazetted MC . Temp Lieutenant John Head Laidman, Royal Artillery, attached Trench Mortar Battery
1917 Nov 7, Mentioned in Sir Douglas Haig's Despatch of that date (London Gazette 14 Dec 1917)
1918 Feb Posted back to UK
1918 Mar 30 Promoted Acting Captain again
1918 May 20 Promoted Acting Major
1918 Jun 19 Relinquishes Acting Major
1918 Sep 11. Promoted Acting Major
1918 daughter Denise Anne was born in 1918, but the marriage was not a happy one, mostly for practical reasons, for John Head was a charming but irresponsible man who was unable to hold down a job. After she returned alone on the Mauritania, in about 1929 after Jack’s attempt at gold prospecting in Alaska, the couple never lived together again. Lilian worked in a dress shop that her brothers opened for her in Cheriton Place, Folkestone, kept herself and her daughter on her earnings.
1919 May 28, Relinquishes Acting rank and reverts to Temporary Lt
1919 Jun 19. Award of Croix de Guerre appears in London Gazette
1920 Demobilized and
granted the rank of Major.
1921 Jan .There is some doubt as to what , if anything , he did with the RIC. In A Job Well Done it says ""Of Captain Laidman in Nazareth, so proud of his Royal Irish Constabulary background that he ordered his entire command to blacken their belts and webbing; only to find his enthusiasm unshared at Headquarters, which ordered him to make good the equipment at his own expense."". But he does not feature in RIC Register, but neither does , for example, Carew. So he might have been in Intelligence in Ireland
And his family have a reference letter from John A. Bockett which says he served in RIC intelligence from Jan 1921 to Jan 1922. But his Estate Agents business appears to be operating in Hampshire until around Aug 1921
1922 Mar 27 . enlisted in Palestine Gendarmerie as a Captain .
1923, Jul 27 leaves UK for Palestine
1923 Nov 9. Palestine Gendarmarie record deals with what would appear to be his effective dismissal (BG officers, unlike the rankers, were rarely officially dimissed but instead were asked to resign or were not given the opportunity of renewing their one-year rolling contracts). He has been called up before the General Officer Commanding all military and police forces in Palestine, Hugh Tudor, McNeill's handwriting is not that clear but the passage reads as follows: "Laidman up in front of the G.O.C. and given notice at end of contract. Had cheek to say it was personal prejudice on my part! I having been too long suffering for 18 months. He should have been tried for issuing "stumers" long ago". [stumer [origin unknown] /STJU me(r)/ Brit. slang 1) a bad check; counterfeit money; a sham 2) generally: something which is worthless].
1924 His contract in Palestine was not renewed
1927 May 4. Travels from Antwerp to Canada. LAIDMAN JOHN, 38 years 3 months, M[ale], Merchant, English, Place of birth: England, Blythe, Tourist, Issued at: Brussels, Last permanent residence: Belgium, Brussels. He had a job in Brussels with Cyanamid, the fertiliser group, hence his residence as Brussels. He is believed to have gone to Alaska as a gold miner
1929 Dec 12. Travels New York to Southampton.
LAIDMAN John, Aberdeen House, Folkestone, Miner, Canada
1930 Mar 11. Travels Southampton to New York as crew.
LAIDMAN, JOHN, Cleaner,
1930 Jul 14. Travels Southampton to New York. as crew:
LAIDMAN, JOHN, Grease
1939 Jul 2. Joined 9 Anti-Aircraft Militia Depot and posted to “B” Battalion
1939 Sep 3 Posted Gibraltar with 4 Heavy Battalion
24.11.1939 Nov 24. Transferred to Royal Army Ordnance Corps Regular Army Reserve of Officers
1942 Jan 4 Posted back UK with 4 Training Battalion and the Central Ordnance Depot Chilwell
1942 Sep 19 - 1943 Nov 7. Assumed appointment second in command, 25 Battalion
1943 Nov 7 Posted to Static Workshop Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Eastern Command
43 Dec 20 -20 May .44 Appointed Staff Officer 2 Government and Civil Affairs Sub Section Supply Branch
44May 20 -12.Sep 44 Appointed Staff Officer 2 HQ No 19 Civil Affairs Unit
1944 Sep 12 Appointed Staff Officer 2 Civil Affairs HQ Supply Branch
1945 Feb 1 Posted Norway until 20 Feb 1945 and then again from 14 Jun 1945 until 25 Nov 1945, attached to Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force
1946 Jan 2. Posted to 2 Civil Affairs Pool North Rhine Region,Posted to 15 Vehicle Company. Posted to 16 Vehicle Company
1948 Jul 14 Released from Military Service.
Relinquished his commission and retained the rank of Major
1949 Lilian eventually divorced Jack, citing adultery as the reason, but they had been living apart for many years previously.
1953 Jan 19. died Roehampton, London. ""Bronchopneumonia due to carcinoma of left upper bronchus" He had been a heavy smoker