12685 Serjeant Richard Kitch
9th(Service)Battalion
Devonshire Regiment
1st July 1916
Born in Creech,St Michael,near Taunton Somerset in 1887.
His mother was Lucy Kitch(1870-1940),but his father remains unknown.Because of not being able to identify his father,all the other children that his mother had before her marriage to widower Thomas Hubbard (born in 1859) on 21/10/1900 must be classed as only half siblings; Walter Charles(1898-1899),
Kate Amelia(born in 1891), Rosa Alice
(born in 1895) and Dorothy Hubbard(1900-1917).
Lucy also had 5 children with Thomas; Elsie(born in 1902),
Albert(born in 1904),Thomas(born in 1905),
Gladys(28/03/1907-2000) and Harry(born in 1910).
Richard does not seem to be on any census record until he appears in the 1911 census as a Private in the 2nd Battalion South Wales Borderers. No enlistment dates are available ,but
it does record his previous employment being that of a farm labourer. No dates are available as to when he left the South Wales Borderers, but he enlisted again into The Devonshire Regiment in Barry Glamorgan with someone he was to be later buried near, William French.
His disembarkation into France was on 27/07/1915.
He was killed in action on 01/07/1916.
He is remembered on the war memorial in St Andrews Church, Dinas, Powys, Wales.
He was awarded 3 medals, the 194-1915 Star,The Allied Victory Medal and the British War Medal 1914-1918.
At the time of his death, his mothers address was recorded as being 9 Paradise Square, Duke Street, Taunton.
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