Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Booktn. Coldstream Guards, _s._ of Richard Robson, of Howden,
Northumberland, Coal Trimmer; _b._ Howden, 2 March, 1880; joined
the 1st Durham R.E. (Vol.), 2 Feb. 1896; and served in that corps until
31 Jan. 1899; being returned as an efficient in the years, 1896-97-98;
enlisted in the Coldstream Guards, 10 Feb. 1899; appointed L.-Corpl. 27
July, 1899, Corpl. 30 Aug. 1901, L.-Sergt. 2 July, 1902, Sergt. 5 Aug.
1905, Coy. Sergt. 7 Nov. 1907, Coy. Q.M. Sergt. 21 Oct. 1913, and Coy.
Sergt.-Major 1 April, 1915; served in the South African War, 18 March,
1900, to 6 Oct. 1902 (Queen's medal with five clasps, "Johannesburg,"
"Diamond Hill," "Belfast," "Cape Colony," "Orange Free State," and
King's medal with two clasps, "S.A. 1901," "S.A. 1902"); and with the
Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders, 12 Aug. 1914 to 27 Sept.
1915, and was mortally wounded in the Battle of Loos, and died the same
day. Buried, at La Rutoire, north of the Loos Road, one mile S.E. of
Vermelles. He _m._ at Christ Church, Victoria Street, Westminster,
25 Feb. 1905, Lilian, dau. of Joseph Filderby, of Ladywood, Birmingham,
Scales Fitter, and had a son and a dau.: Richard, _b._ 3 Nov.
1907; and Margaret Lilian, _b._ 30 Aug. 1906.
[Illustration: =Richard Ernest Robson.=]
=ROBSON, THOMAS=, Private, No. 8170, 3rd Battn. Coldstream Guards,
only _s._ of Thomas Robson, of Newcastle, by his wife, Mary Anne
Elizabeth; _b._ Shieldfield, Newcastle-on-Tyne, 9 June, 1891;
educ. Gateshead; enlisted in the Coldstreams at Newcastle, 23 Nov.
1908, went to the Front with the Expeditionary Force, and was killed
in action at Landrecies a few days later, 25 Aug. 1914. "Many splendid
things were done that night at Landrecies," wrote Corpl. G. Gilliam
("Penny Magazine," 28 Nov. 1914), "but there was nothing finer than
the work of our Maxim gunner Robson, who was on our left. Our machine
guns were by now at our end of the town, and they had a solid mass of
Germans to go at. Robson was sitting on his stool, and as soon as the
officer ordered 'Fire' he pressed the two buttons and his Maxim hailed
death. It literally was a hail of fire that met the packed Germans, and
absolutely swept down the head of the column, so that the street was
choked in an instant with the German dead. In spite of this absolute
hail, a few Germans managed to break through their walls of dead and
wounded. One of them disguised as a French Officer, and wanting us
to think he had been a prisoner, but had just broken away from the
Germans, rushed up to Robson and patted him on the shoulder and said;
'brave fellow'; and with that he whipped round his sword and killed
our Maxim gunner on the spot; but he himself was instantly shot down
by our enraged fellows. I suppose he did not mind taking his chance."
He _m._ at St. Mark's, Kennington, Annie Francis (32, Werhum
Street, Kennington, S.E.), dau. of John Gosling, and had a dau., Annie,
_b._ 29 Nov. 1913.
=ROBSON, THOMAS WILLIAM=, Private, R.M.L.I., Ch./17824, H.M.S.
Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off
the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.
=ROCKLEY, ERNEST=, Ordinary Seaman, J. 16809, H.M.S. Pathfinder;
lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East
Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.
=RODDAM, ROBERT COLLINGWOOD=, Capt., 3rd, attd. 1st Battn.
Northumberland Fusiliers, only _s._ of Lieut.-Col. Roddam John
Roddam, of Roddam, co. Northumberland, J.P., B.A., late commanding 3rd
Northumberland Fusiliers, now commanding 15th Northumberland Fusiliers,
by his wife, Helen Fredericka, yst. dau. of Capt. Alexander Taubman
Goldie, of The Hermitage, Isle of Man, late R.N.; _b._ Roddam
Hall, near Alnwick, 10 Jan. 1890; educ. Wellington College; joined
the 7th Battn. Northumberland Fusiliers (T.F.) as 2nd Lieut. in Aug.
1908; transferred to the 3rd Special Reserve, commanded by his father,
in 1910, and was promoted Lieut. 2 Dec. 1912. He was in Ceylon when
war broke out; returned to England at once and joined his Battn. in
Sept., went to France in Dec. as a Lieut., and was then attd. to the
1st Battn., and promoted Capt.; and was killed in action at Hooge, 16
June, 1915, gallantly leading his Company in an attack on the German
trenches; _unm._ Buried there. His Col. (now Brig.-Gen. Ainslie)
wrote: "He will be a great loss as an officer, in fact I know of no one
who shaped better or showed more soldierlike qualities. Over and over
again he has been in very nasty situations and every time he has come
out smiling, and kept his end up splendidly. It will be a consolation
to you to know what a tip-top officer he was." Capt. Roddam was awarded
the Military Cross [London Gazette, 23 June, 1915] for gallantry with
the handful of men in the advanced trench left capable, after having
had their trench mined at St. Eloi, 14 April; and was mentioned in F.M.
Sir John (now Lord) French's Despatch of 31 May [London Gazette, 22
June, 1915], for gallant and distinguished service in the field.
[Illustration: =Robert C. Roddam.=]
=RODDIS, CHARLES HENRY=, Private, No. 3071, 1/5th Battn. Duke of
Wellington's West Riding Regt. (T.F.), only _s._ of Joseph Charles
Roddis, of 13, Fieldhouse Lane, Leeds Road North, Huddersfield, Stone
Machinist, by his wife, Ellen, dau. of Henry Wheeldon, of Sheffield;
_b._ Sheffield, 6 Feb. 1897; educ. Parson Cross School, Wadsley
Bridge, near Sheffield; was apprenticed as a tool fitter at David Brown
& Sons, Motor Engineers, Lockwood, Huddersfield, but, on the outbreak
of war, volunteered for foreign service and joined the 5th West Riding
Regt.; went to France in April, 1915; volunteered as a bombthrower,
and was killed in action at Fleurbaix, 25 June following; _unm._
Buried at La Croix, near Fleurbaix. Major G. P. Norton wrote: "Private
C. Roddis was mortally wounded by a shell about 4.45 yesterday
afternoon, and he died in the first-aid post the same evening. The
enemy was shelling our trenches, and your son was in a dug-out, about
the last shell they fired hit on the top of the dug-out and burst
inside.... He was such a nice lad and a splendid soldier. His heart was
in his work; he took up bombing and turned out one of the best bombers
in the Brigade. He was doing a turn in the trenches to make room for
others to be trained as bombers, and it is very hard that he should
have been killed before he could use the bombs on the Germans. His is a
great loss to me personally, and all the officers and his comrades."
[Illustration: =Charles Henry Roddis.=]
=RODGER, WALTER WASHINGTON BUCHANAN=, Lieut., 5th Battn. Argyll
and Sutherland Highlanders (T.F.), yst. _s._ of the late Walter
Washington Buchanan Rodger, Ex-Provost, of Greenock, C.E., J.P., by his
wife, Emma Amelia (Bagatelle, Greenock), dau. of William Clark Rodger,
of New York; _b._ Greenock, 13 May, 1895; educ. Trinity College,
Glenalmond; gazetted 2nd Lieut., Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 20
Oct. 1914, and promoted Lieut. 1 Nov. 1914; went to the Dardanelles, 1
June, 1915, and was killed in action near Krithia, 8 |