Frederick Inman

Frederick Inman was a Freemason, member of Lodge Temperance 2557 and one of our forgotten war heroes. He is not listed in the Lodge Temperance WW1 Roll of Honour although the Lodge registers show he was on war service.

At the Lodge Temperance 2557 meeting held at the Royal Assembly Rooms, Westgate Road, on the 17th September 1917. Frederick was proposed by Bro John Armstrong, Treasurer and seconded by Bro William March as a fit and proper person to be made a Freemason. He was a 28 year old Police Officer residing in Shibden Road, Blaydon upon Tyne.  A successful ballot was held on 15th October and he was initiated into the mysteries and privileges of Ancient Freemasonry on 30th January 1918. He was passed to the second or Fellowcraft degree on 28th February and raised to the Sublime degree of a Master Mason on 28th March 1918.

Unfortunately the service and pension records for Frederick’s time during the war can’t be found so are likely among the 60% of the Service Records irretrievably damaged or lost as a result of enemy bombing in 1940. There are many Frederick Inman’s listed in the medal index cards and rolls but without an idea of his service it’s not possible to confidently identify him.

Frederick was born on 24th March 1889 in Railway Street, Hebburn Colliery to John White and Sarah Jane Inman. John Snr worked as a colliery stationary engine driver/attendant which was a steam or electric engine used for pumping water or driving machinery in the mine. John Snr married Sarah Jane Ormston in 1881 in the Auckland area of Co Durham and they had at least nine children of which two sadly died as infants.

  • John White (b 1882)
  • Sarah Ellen (b 1884)
  • Thomas (1887 – 1888)
  • Frederick (24/03/1889 – 12/12/1952)
  • Emily (b 1892)
  • Alfred (b 1894)
  • Walter (1896 -1897)
  • Henry (b 1898)
  • William (b 1900)

Frederick started his working life working below ground in Hebburn Colliery working as a “putter” which is a local term for the person who brought the empty coal tubs up to the coal face and took loaded tubs to the pit bottom. It seems that the mining life wasn’t for Frederick because he joined Durham Constabulary as a police constable and by 1939 had retired and was in the Durham police reserve. He married Mary Ann Scott in 1919 in Brampton, Cumberland and they had at least one child – Freda born in 1920.

Frederick died in 1952 at the age of 63 years and Mary in 1984 at the age of 89 years.