Menin Gate Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas Robson was born in 1887 at Motherwell, Glasgow, Scotland, one of 11 children of whom only 8 survived he was the eldest of 4 sons and 4 daughters. His father Thomas Snr born at Wrekenton, Gateshead in 1863, moved to Scotland where he married Mary. Whilst living in Scotland they had 3 children before returning to the north east, setting in the district of Chester-le-Street, County Durham and finally moving to Heworth by 1901, living at George Street, Felling, Thomas was employed as a shipyard labourer. Having moved to Brown’s Buildings by 1911 Thomas (24) had joined him at the shipyards, Sarah (15), Joseph (13) and Ellen (8) were scholars whilst William (4) and Arnold (2) were cared for at home by their mother.
Thomas, although still employed, enlisted as a Territorial in 1904 assigned to the 3rd Battalion Durham Light Infantry he attended their annual camp. On the outbreak of war he was mobilised August 15th 1914 at South Shields and underwent training with the 3rd Battalion in reserve for service overseas before being transferred to the Regular Army, 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry as Private 8919. He departed to France, April 7th 1915, joining his Regiment in the field attached to the 18th Brigade, 6th Division in Flanders where they had participated on the Aisne, at Armentieres and was now on the Ypres salient. August 8th-9th 1915 they saw action at Hooge where they suffered the loss of over 50 officers and 1,500 men killed, wounded or missing.
Private 8918 Thomas Robson Durham Light Infantry was killed in action August 9th 1915. His sacrifice is recorded as one of the 54,616 names inscribed on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, Ypres, Belgium commemoration servicemen from Britain and the Commonwealth who died on the Ypres salient up to August 15th 1917 and who have no known grave. He was 28 years old and single.
His father Thomas received all monies due to him and his awards of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to him at 25b, Quarry Row, Felling, Gateshead, County Durham.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Thomas Robson is remembered in Felling on F32.07
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 205
