Flight Sub Lieutentant Holbrook Lance Gaskell was born on September 21, 1897, in Woolton. The 1901 census shows him, then aged 3, as living with his parents, Lietenant Colonal (retired) James Bellhouse Gaskell, a Director at the United Alkali Co, and mother, Harriette May Gaskell, nee Melland at Roseleigh, Acrefield Road, Woolton. A cousin, Henry Pagden, a retired actor, also lived with the family.

The family were well-to-do and, by the time that Holbrook was 13, the family employed five servants — Jane Baker, cook, Evelyn Lomax, parlourmaid, Ellen Fidler, kitchenmaid, Margaret Jones, (presumably children’s) nurse and a housemaid, Mary MacLeod. By that time, Holbrook’s sister, Helen (aged 28), was living back at home; she was probably away at school when the 1901 census was taken.

Holbrook was educated at Greenbank School, Sefton Park, and Shrewsbury School, before being admitted to Pembroke College, Cambridge.

When the war broke out, Holbrook, like many of the Cambridge students, left university to join the military. He was commissioned as a Flight Sub-Lieutenant on June 25, 1916, and underwent training at the Hall Flying School, Hendon, and then at Crystal Palace RNAS Training School. He graduated as a pilot on November 1, 1916, at Cranwell.

Flight Sub Lieutenant Holbrook Lance Gaskell, served in the Eastern Mediterranean from January 1, 1917, was based at the RNAS Station at Mudos, later seeing action on the Dorian Front near Salonika, Greece.

On the May 2, 1917, Holbrook along with 2nd Lieutenant James Watt (47th Squadron) were flying their Sopwith plane when they were repeatedly hit by Turkish anti-aircraft fire. The resulting crash killed both men.

Holbrook is Remembered with Honour at Sarigol Military Cemetery, Kriston, Central Macedonia

.