John LANCHESTER [1888-1955]

Birth Records John Lanchester birth registered Quarter 3 1888 Auckland County Durham

15 October 1924 John Lanchester dental surgeon residence Gatooma Southen Rhodesia  married Dora Higginbottom dental surgeon at St Paul's Church Rondesboch Western Cape South Africa

Their son George William Lanchester born 1926 Cape Town

Arrived Southampston from New Zealand 1946 John Lanchester 57 dentist and Dora Lanchester 50

(Dora Higginbottom born 28 December 1895 in Bolton Lancashire Died  20 March 1980 St Andrew Norwich Norfolk)

Arrived Liverpool  2 May 1947  John Lanchester age 59 Dentist born at Helens Auckland County Durham last place of residence Southern Rhodesia

Arrived in London from Hong Kong 1949 John Lanchester age 60 dentist address in UK  Abingdon Villas London W8

Find A  Grave  All Saints Manfield North Yorkshire.  Grave stone shows several generations of Lanchesters  including John Lanchester   August 17 1888 -11 February 1955  His son George William Lanchester who died 9 December 1983 is also buried there 

Death Record John Lanchester age 66 death registered Quarter 1 1955 Ealing 

I wonder if the author with the same name who wrote the historical novel “Fragant Harbour,” is related to this gentleman? Just a thought. 

The quoted book is fictional and covers the lives of a few people in Hong Kong from the 1930’s to the end of the century.

According to the World of Books (WOB), "John Lanchester was born in Hamburg in 1962. He has written four novels, The Debt to Pleasure, Mr Phillips, Fragrant Harbour and Capital, and two works of non-fiction: Family Romance, a memoir; and Whoops!: Why everyone owes everyone and no one can pay. His books have won the Hawthornden Prize, the Whitbread First Novel Prize, E.M Forster Award, and the Premi Llibreter, been longlisted for the Booker Prize, and been translated into twenty-five languages. He is married, has two children and lives in London." He doesn't seem a likely son of John Lanchester the government dentist in Stanley who died in 1955.