Menin Gate Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Robert Coulson was born January 22 and baptised February 13th 1895 at Belmont, County Durham, one of 10 children of whom only 8 survived, he was the eldest of 3 brothers and had 1 elder and 4 younger sisters. His father William Coulson was a native of New Durham, now known as Gilesgate Moor where he was born in 1873 and married in the district of Easington in 1893 to Alice Allison born 1875 in the district of Sunderland, County Durham. In 1901 they and their 5 children were living at 402, Double Row, Broompark where William was employed as a coal miner/hewer, by the age 0f 16 Robert had joined him at the colliery working as a driver, his elder sister Jemima assisted with home duties, his younger siblings Lidia and Mary attended school, Richard, William and Alice were not of school age. They had taken in a boarder Thomas Lindsley aged 23 who was employed as a putter at New Brancepeth coal pit.
On the outbreak of war Robert was living at 358, Double Row, Broompark, he left his employment with the Littleburn Coal Company and enlisted May 16th 1914 at Ushaw Moor, assigned as Private 1689 8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, a Territorial Force with their HQ at the Drill Hall, Gilesgate, Durham.
August 3rd 1914 the main body of the 8th Battalion was at their annual training camp in North Wales when the order came to return home and prepare for war. They arrived back in Durham by rail August 4th and moved the next day to positions on the coast at Roker and Whitburn. Over the next 9 months the part-time volunteer soldiers trained at Boldon and Ravensworth and Newcastle for full-time service overseas.
April 19th the battalion departed from Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Northumberland) railway station bound for Folkestone, crossing that same day and disembarking at Boulogne where they were attached to the 151st Brigade, 50th Northumbrian Division. Without any nursery training they were sent across France to Belgium and rushed into battle during the 2nd Battle of Ypres where they suffered casualties from shelling and gas attacks.
Private 1689 Robert Coulson Durham Light Infantry was killed in action 7 days after his arrival at the front, April 26th 1915. He was 20 years old and single. Due to the conditions of the battlefield his remains were never found or recovered.
His sacrifice is recorded as one of the 54,395 names inscribed on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, Ypres, Belgium, commemorating servicemen from Britain and the Commonwealth who were killed on the Ypres salient and whose bodies were never recovered or who have no known grave.
His father William received all monies due to him and his awards of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. Military record state there items were sent to 122, School Street, Oakenshaw, Willington, County Durham. The CWGC entry for Private Coulson gives their home address as 150, School Street.
William Coulson died in 1950 aged 77 years his wife Alice Coulson nee Allison in 1956 aged 81 years, both death registered in the district of County Durham.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
He is remembered in Willington on W120.02 and in Oakenshaw on O20.01
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 98
