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11th November 1918

I've often been  asked in the past if  I am doing any work for Remembrance Day and I have always answered no, simply because I have felt that this site deals with remembrance the whole year round

and not just one day.

However this year  I have decided to start  a section dedicated to this momentous day in history,

by telling the stories of men whom sadly this day was also their last.

                                                                                                                                                           Mike Abbott       October 2024 

10/1172 Private Robert Bernard Stead
A Company 10th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment
Plot X.D.28
Terlincthun British Cemetery
Wimille, Department du Pas-de-Calais, France  

 

Born in Driffield, East Yorkshire in 1897. His parents were Richard Stead (31/03/1866-1946) and Julia Conway (1867-25/04/1933).

They were married in 1894.

Roberts mother, Julia Conway was born in Chelsea, London. Her parents were John Conway, a bricklayer, who was born in

Boston, Lincolnshire in 1838 and Julia Galburn, born in Limerick ,Ireland in 1845.

In 1871 Julia was living at 33 Little Coram Street, St George, Bloomsbury, London, with her parents and her older siblings,

Mary & Thomas. 

In 1891 Julia was working as a servant at Beechwood, Riverhead, Driffield for the vicar of Driffield, Horace Newton.    

 Robert had a brother, Richard Conway (20/03/1896-03/04/1974) and 2 sisters, Elsie Kathleen (03/01/1899-1977)

and Julia Conway Una (12/01/1904-1971).

In the1901 Census the family were recorded as living at 23 Shady lane, Driffield(Shady lane was later renamed Victoria Road).

Richard Snr, was employed as a clerk for a corn merchant.  

The Stead family had been living in Driffield from about 1837, when Roberts Great Grandfather, Samuel moved his family from Beverley to 16 Mill Street Driffield, to take on the profession of schoolmaster at the National School(Cross Hill).

Roberts grandfather, also named Robert, worked as a whitesmith(doing finishing work like polishing and turning iron and steel.) and with his own family he settled at 68 Shady Lane in Driffield.

The 1911 census shows that Richard snr had moved his family to Hull and they were living at 46 Clarendon Street, Spring Bank, Hull.

Richard was still employed as clerk with a corn merchant and Robert was at School.

When war broke out in 1914, Robert was too young to join up, but that did not stop him as when he did enlist at the central Hull recruiting office on 23/02/1915, he was still only 17, but gave his age as 19 years 7 months.

His medical carried out on the same day was recorded as follows;

Occupation - Bricklayer

Weight 133lbs

Height 5ft 7 1/2 inches

Girth when fully expanded - 35 1/2 inches

Range of expansion - 2 inches

Physical Development  - Good     

From the 23/02/1915 he was posted to A Company 10th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment for training, some of it spent at

Hornsea, East Yorkshire. 

 On 08/12/1915, Robert and his Battalion  boarded HMT Minnewaska at Devonport, departing that day at 5.20am bound for Egypt.

 He disembarked at Port Said at 2pm on 21/12/1915.

Robert remained in Egypt until 29/02/1916 when his battalion embarked aboard the HMT Tunisian bound for France.

The HMT Tunisian arrived in Marseilles harbour on 07/03/1916. The battalion disembarked at 1pm and at 10.30pm they took a train on the Paris - Lyons railway to Pont Remy.

Once they arrived at Pont Remy after about 3 days travelling on the train, they then had a route march to their final destination of  Longpre-les-Corps-Saints. 

On 27/03/1916 Roberts battalion were going into the front line at Englebelmer, north of Albert. Robert though was admitted to

No.40 field ambulance and then onto a casualty clearing station that same day. Unfortunately his service record is too worn to be

able to read the reason for this. It doesn't appear too serious though as he returned to his unit early April. 

Robert appears to have got through the battle of the Somme unscathed as the next entry on his service record is not until 23/02/1917, when he was granted proficiency pay class1. This meant he was now classed as a marksman and as such would be paid an extra sixpence a day on top of his normal pay. 

Robert was given from 26/07/1917 to 05/08/1917 though it doesn't state if he returned home or stayed in France.

On 09/09/1917 Robert was admitted to No.30 Casualty Clearing Station then onto No.93 Field Ambulance suffering from  Orchitis.

This is an inflammation of one or both testicles. Bacterial or viral infections can cause orchitis, or the cause can be unknown.

Orchitis is most often the result of a bacterial infection, such as a sexually transmitted infection (STI). In some cases, the mumps virus can cause orchitis. Robert was then transferred to No.10 General Hospital in Rouen. He was to stay here until 19/10/1917 when he was released from Hospital and sent to the base camp at Etaples before re-joining his unit in early November. 

It was another year before the final entry was made on his service record when he was admitted to No.83 General Hospital

in Boulogne suffering with influenza; again it is unclear the date he was admitted as his record is so worn, but does show that

he wasn't able to recover and died in the hospital on 11/11/1918.  

His personal belongings were returned to his family, which were a gold ring, razor disc, cigarette case, diary, matchbox cover, wallet, letter and photo.

Robert was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the 1914-1918 British War and Allied Victory medals.

His mother was awarded a pension of 5/- a week from 03/06/1919 on the 23/07/1919.

 

Hull Daily Mail – Tuesday 11 November 1919

In Memoriam

Stead – In loving memory of Private R B Stead, 10th East Yorks. Regt, younger son of Mr and Mrs Stead 46, Clarendon Street, who died in hospital in Boulogne, November 11th, 1918.  

 Stead – In affectionate remembrance of our dear pal, Pte Robert Bernard Stead, who died through illness whilst on active service

in France, Nov. 11th, 1918.

     Greater love hath no man,

     One of the unreturned heroes.

 Ever remembered by his Clarendon Street pals.

                                 His family had a personal inscription added to his headstone, It reads;

                                             THEY SHALL BE MINE SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS

Regimental moves information from​ "Hull Pals" by David Bilton

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