Address: 2 St Aubyn Ope

His father's name is not shown on the Birth Certificate. However, based on the known use of Northcott as the second given name for Ernest's half-brother - Henry Northcott Luscombe - it is assumed that Ernest's father was a Snell, although this was never referred to in family oral history which was the source for the use of Northcott. Oral history (Harry Kenneth Luscombe) says that John Luscombe (Yeoman of Signals) was Ernest's father but this was a purely mythical individual presumably invented by their mother and used as the father on Ernest's and Henry's Marriage Certificates.

Using the 1881 Census a search was made for the likely father based on the assumptions that it was someone who was local, was about Amelia's age and probably unmarried. This produced three possible candidates:

1 James Snell aged 22 who was a Driver in the Royal Horse Artillery stationed at the New Granby Barracks in Stoke Damerel. He was born in Bedham, Essex.

2 James J. Snell aged 24 who was a Smith in Devonport Dockyard and lodged with James Neale's family at 5 Charlotte Row, Stoke Damerel. He was born in Devonport.

3 William Snell aged 25 who was an Able Seaman in the Royal Navy and at the time of the Census was lodging with Anne Pike at 127 Albert Road, Devonport. He as born in Devonport. His ship is not known.

Of these William is considered the least likely as at the time of conception (September 1881) he could have been at sea. In addition as Ernest's second Christian name was James it is more likely that one of the Jameses was the father. The most probable reason for Amelia not being forced into marriage was that when her condition beame evident the father was no longer in the neighbourhood. This tilts the balance of probability towards James the soldier as being the father.

His mother was working as a domestic servant; whether she was living at home with her parents is not known, however, Ernest was born at her parents' home.

Address: Devon

To become a telegraph messenger it was necessary to produce a birth certificate. It is known from family oral history that when his younger half brother Harry wanted to become a telegraph messenger that his request for his birth certificate caused a great deal of consternation in the family as it didn't give his father's name and thus indicated that he was illegitimate. There is no oral history which indicates that this was the case for Ernest. However, it is likely that the family's reaction would have been the same. It is likely that he started when he left school at the age of 14 and continued until just before he joined the Navy. As a telegraph messenger he would have worked six day a week and when not employed on delivering telegrams carring out such jobs as printing labels for mail bags

On enlistment he lied about his age and place of birth giving his date of birth as 8 March 1881 whereas he was actually born on 6 June 1882 and his place of birth as St Aubyn, Cornwall whereas he was born in St Aubyn's Ope, Devonport. To lie about age when enlisting so as to appear older was not uncommon but why he lied about his bithplace is not known. Perhaps he was afraid that someone would check up on him.

On enlistment he lied about his age and place of birth giving his date of birth as 8 March 1881 whereas he was actually born on 6 June 1882 and his place of birth as St Aubyn, Cornwall whereas he was born in St Aubyn's Ope, Devonport. To lie about age when enlisting so as to appear older was not uncommon but why he lied about his bithplace is not known. Perhaps he was afraid that someone would check up on him.

Having joined as a Boy Seaman Second Class he worked his way up as a rating to Petty officer which he achieved 1 April 2006. On 24 April 1908 he passed for Petty Officer (Gunner) and on 19 June 1912 as Gunner which qualified him for promotion to Warrent Officer. He was promoted to Warrent Officer as Acting Gunner on 25 June 1913. The gunnery specialisation only took the best ratings.

On promotion to Gunner he was appointed to HMS Ajax on commissioning and served in her until 6 March 2019. HMS Ajax was the last of the four ships of the King George V-class battleships to be laid down and during the time that Ernest served in her was part of the Grand Fleet. She saw action only at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916. In this action the first division of the second battle squadron, commanded by Vice-Admiral Sir Martyn Jerram, consisted of HMS King George V, HMS Ajax, HMS Centurion and HMS Erin. The fourth sister ship, HMS Audacious, had been sunk by a mine on 27 October 1914. She sighted the leading ships of the battle line of the German High Seas Fleet and the German battlecruisers and fired on them. She herself received no hits; because of the number of ships involved it was not possible to establish if she made any hits on her targets. His report while serving in Ajax said he had tact, good judgement and was a good director officer. (The director controlled the main armament which in HMS Ajax consisted of ten 13.5 inch 45 calibre Mark V guns, disposed in five twin turrets all on the centre-line of the ship. The guns fired a shell weighing 1,400 pounds, and the maximum rate of fire was two rounds per gun per minute, although to allow for the spotting of the fall of shot one round per minute was more usual.)

He was promoted to Chief Gunner on 2 Jun 1923 and to Lieutenant on retirement on 3 March1931.

He was serving as an Ordinary Seaman.

Cause: a pulmonary embolism and cerebral haemorrhage

Address: Plymouth

His sister-in-law Ellen Luscombe said that it was a unpleasant death but whether she was with him or she heard it from his wife Elizabeth (Lizzie) is not known.