Lena Ashwell (real name Lena Margaret Pocock) was the younger sister of Roger Pocock. She was born on 28th September 1872 on board ship in the River Tyne, England and died in London on the 13th March 1957. A well known Edwardian actress and theatre manageress she was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1917 for her services in organising entertainment for the troops at the front.

Lena Ashwell Pocock was born on the "Wellesey" on the 28th September, 1869. This date is also shown on the family placque in Cookham Church, Surrey. An insertion in the "Shields Daily News" dated the 29th Sep. 1869 announces the birth. On page fifteen of her book, "Myself a Player", she tells how she had an agreement with her sister Hilda, "to be the younger one." Actresses, even in the making, are usually vain! Hilda was born on 27th April, 1871 - also on the ship. (Shields Daily News - 27th April, 1871)

Lena Ashwell was raised and educated in Canada, studying at the University of Toronto. She seemed to set her mind early on a singing career so she later studied music at the Lausanne in Switzerland and at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Her voice however proved inadequate and she turned her talents to acting. She had several notable acting successes in the early 1900s after which she managed the Kingsway theatre in London from 1905-1915. During the First World War she organised the Lena Ashwell Concerts for the troops at the Front. She wrote of these experiences in her book Modern Troubadours published in 1922. Following the War she formed and managed the Lena Ashwell Players and produced drama at London's Century Theatre from 1924 to 1929. She later wrote her autobiography, Myself a Player which was published in 1936.