Andrew Common

{{Short description|British shipping director}}

{{For|the 19th century English amateur astronomer|Andrew Ainslie Common}}

{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}

{{Infobox military person

|honorific_prefix =

|name =Andrew Common

|honorific_suffix =

|native_name =

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|image =Grave of Sir Andrew and Lady Common, Edmundbyers.jpg

|image_size =300

|caption =The grave of Sir Andrew and Lady Common.
Edmundbyers, County Durham, England

|birth_date ={{Birth date|1889|03|31|df=yes}}

|death_date ={{Death date and age|1953|04|06|1889|03|31|df=yes}}

|birth_place =Sunderland, County Durham, England

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|allegiance ={{flagu|United Kingdom|23px}}

|branch =

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|rank =Second Lieutenant / Major

|servicenumber =

|unit =3rd Northumbrian (County of Durham) Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery

|commands =

|battles =World War I

|battles_label =

|awards =DSO

|relations =

|laterwork =Ministry of War Transport (World War II)
Deputy Lieutenant of County Durham

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Sir Lawrence Andrew Common {{post-nominals|country=GBR|DSO|DL}} (31 March 1889 – 6 April 1953) was a British shipping director.England & Wales Births Index 1899, June quarter, "Common, Laurence Andrew", Sunderland, volume 10, page 631England & Wales Deaths Index 1953, June quarter, "Common, Lawrence A.", Northumberland West, volume 1b, page 394[http://www.gravetext.co.uk/Edmundbyers/EDMUNDBYERS_MONUMENTAL_INSCRIPTIONS__sorted_by_surname_and_.pdf Edmundbyers Monumental Inscriptions] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513002105/http://www.gravetext.co.uk/Edmundbyers/EDMUNDBYERS_MONUMENTAL_INSCRIPTIONS__sorted_by_surname_and_.pdf |date=13 May 2008 }}[http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp86794 National Portrait Gallery]

Common was born in Sunderland, County Durham, the son of Francis James Common (1847–1903), an iron merchant from Darlington, and his wife, Annie Elizabeth (née Walford) of Banbury, Oxfordshire.1891 England Census, Class RG12, Piece 4134, Folio 68, Page 31 His aunt, Emma Jane Common, was the wife of the Nonconformist divine, Joseph Parker.

In 1911, he joined the Territorial Army as a second lieutenant in the 3rd Northumbrian (County of Durham) Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery retiring at the end of the war with the rank of Major and he was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order in 1917 for his services during World War I.{{London Gazette |issue=28585 |date=27 February 1912 |page=1451}}{{London Gazette |issue=30111 |date=1 June 1917 |page=1}}

{{Election box begin |

|title=General election 1923: Sunderland British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Unionist Party (UK)

|candidate = {{Y}}Walter Raine

|votes = 23,497

|percentage = 19.9

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Unionist Party (UK)

|candidate = {{Y}}Luke Thompson

|votes = 23,379

|percentage = 19.8

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Liberal Party (UK)

|candidate = Andrew Common

|votes = 22,438

|percentage = 19.0

|change = +7.3

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Liberal Party (UK)

|candidate = Hamar Greenwood

|votes = 22,034

|percentage = 18.6

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Labour Party (UK)

|candidate =David Baxter Lawley

|votes = 13,707

|percentage = 11.6

|change = -0.6

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|

|party = Labour Party (UK)

|candidate = Tom Gillinder

|votes = 13,184

|percentage = 11.1

|change = -1.0

}}

{{Election box majority|

|votes = 1,905

|percentage = 1.1

|change =

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{{Election box turnout|

|votes =

|percentage = 77.9

|change =

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{{Election box hold with party link

|winner = Unionist Party (UK)

|swing =

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{{Election box end}}

In the 1945 New Year Honours, Common was appointed a knight bachelor by George VI for his work with the Ministry of War Transport during World War II and knighted at Buckingham Palace in 1945.{{London Gazette |issue=36866 |date=29 December 1944 |page=1|supp=y}}{{London Gazette |issue=36943 |date=16 February 1945 |page=943}} He was also appointed a Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, for his services to her country during the war.{{London Gazette |issue=38192 |date=30 January 1948 |page=741}}

In 1952, Common was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of County Durham and High Sheriff of that county in 1953, having previously been nominated in 1950 and 1952.{{London Gazette |issue=39069 |date=17 November 1950 |page=5739}}{{London Gazette |issue=39634 |date=29 September 1952 |page=4589}}{{London Gazette |issue=39700 |date=21 November 1952 |page=6137}}{{London Gazette |issue=39798 |date=13 March 1953 |page=1442}}

In 1923, Common had married Bessie Reid Pollock (1895–1959), a daughter of Gilbert Reid Pollock (1865–?), an iron engineer from Neilston, Renfrewshire, and his wife, Annie (née Blackwell) of Hyde, Cheshire.England & Wales Marriages Index 1923, June quarter, Sunderland, volume 10a, page 1352England & Wales Births Index 1895, December quarter, "Pollock, Bessie Reid", Stockport, volume 8a, page 10England & Wales Deaths Index 1959, September quarter, "Common, Bessie R.", Durham West, volume 1a, page 540International Genealogical Index, Batch C115721, Dates 1855–1875, Source Call No. 6035516 Register They had three children, Joyce A. (born 1924), Elizabeth A. (born 1926) and Gilbert A. (born 1930).England & Wales Births Index 1926, March quarter, Sunderland, volume 10a, page 1202England & Wales Births Index 1930, June quarter, Sunderland, volume 10a, page 1102

Common died in 1953 and was buried in Edmundbyers, County Durham, near to his home, Hunter House on the banks of Derwent Reservoir. His wife was later interred with him upon her death in 1959.