Lieutenant Ernest Stafford Carlos was born on 4 June 1883 in Kennington, one of the nine children of John Gregory Carlos (1850-1919) and Anne Chessell Carlos née Buckler (1851-1934). His father was a merchant's clerk in the Russian grain trade. The Carlos family connection with Shropshire goes back seven generations to Colonel John Careless (1618-1713) who shared his refuge in the Oak Tree at Boscobel with the future King Charles II following their flight from the Battle of Worcester (1651). As a reward for his services, Careless took the name Carlos at the time of the Restoration and the family were granted an augmentation of their coat of arms to include the oak at Boscobel.
On 3 July 1883 he was baptised at St James's Church, Lambeth. The baptismal register shows that the family were living at 46 Camberwell New Road, Lambeth. He was educated at St. John the Divine School in Kennington and at the Lambeth School of Art. He is shown on the 1901 census as an art student living at 42 Foxley Road, Brixton, with his parents and six siblings: John Buckler Carlos (1880-1951), George Edward Carlos (1881-1953), Grace May Carlos (1882-1955), Arthur Sidney Carlos (1888-1960), Robert Chessell Carlos (1890-1970) and Edward Robert Carlos (1890-1970).
On 30 July 1901 he joined the Royal Academy School of Art on a three-year scholarship. This was renewed for a further two years. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1900 with a small picture entitled 'Soldiers' and in the same year he was awarded the National Medal [South Kensington]. This was followed by the Landseer Scholarship for painting in 1903, a British Institute Scholarship in 1904 together with the Royal Academy Silver Medals in 1904 and 1906. He gained a gold medal at the Bury St. Edmund’s Exhibition of 1908.
He set up his studio at 42 Foxley Road, North Brixton, somewhere around 1904. It was here that he first became involved with youth work and was also made aware of the social problems in London’s East End. He founded the 107th London Troop of Boy Scouts that continued later as the 21st Camberwell [Trinity] Scout Group. His connection with the Scout Movement led him to move away from portraiture to the production of a series of paintings with a Scouting context illustrating Scouting activities of the period. (See our Picture source for some examples).
In the 1911 census he is shown as an artist, still living at 42 Foxley Road, North Brixton, with his parents and his six siblings.
At the outbreak of World War One in 1914 he volunteered for military service but was rejected on medical grounds. As a result he became more deeply involved in social work, particularly for the parishes of St. George in Camberwell and St. John the Divine, Kennington. He was also associated with the Belgrave Hospital for Children and the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Families Relief Association while continuing his work in Scouting.
He again volunteered in March 1916 and was accepted as a Private in the 16th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment ( Queen’s Westminster Rifles), service number 6160. When Territorial Force regiments were renumbered in 1917 his service number became 552892. After a short period of service abroad he returned to England and was posted to No 12 Officer Cadet Battalion at Newmarket from which he was commissioned as a Second-Lieutenant in the 8th Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). He joined his regiment in France in March 1917 and was killed by shellfire leading his platoon in an attack, aged 34 years, in the evening of 14 June 1917. His body was buried in Plot 1, Row K, Grave 36, in the Chester Farm Cemetery, Vaartstraat, Zillebeke, Ypres, Belgium.
Probate records show that administration was originally granted to his father on 31 July 1917 and his effects totalled £2,661-17s-4d, but as his father died on 12 January 1919, his widowed mother was re-granted administration on 10 July 1919 and his effects were now valued at £194. On 8 November 1917 his army effects totalling £47-17-7d were sent to his father and on 5 February 1920 his £5-0s-0d war gratuity was sent to his mother. He was posthumously awarded the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal and these were posted to his mother at The Priory, Holmesdale Road, Bromley, Kent. His family's memorial to him is a window depicting 'The Pathfinder' in stained glass at Holy Cross Church, Hornchurch Road, Hornchurch, RM11 1PX.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
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