Illustrated Chronicle August 1914
Medal Index Card
Robert Anderson was born at 26 Union Street, in Houghton-Le-Spring on the 21st June 1890, baptised 15th July 1890, and was the youngest son of Ralph Anderson, born 1855, baptised on the 29th April 1855 at Houghton-Le-Spring, [Stonemason], and Mary Ann, born 1858, she died on the 4th June 1899. When they were married they had five children, Jane Ann born 1879, John, born 1882, Ada, born 1885, [married 1902 to a William John Atwill, born 1870, Houghton-le-Spring, they had 4 children by 1911], Ralph born 1889 and Anne born 1894.
In 1891 the family were residing at 22 Union Street, Houghton-Le-Spring, Durham. Roberts mother died in 1896, and by 1911 Robert was living with his sister, Ada and her husband William Atwill, and their four children, [Thomas, born 1903, Mary Ann, born 1906, Robert Atwill, born 1909 and Gladys born July, 1910], residing at 36 Mount Pleasant, Houghton-le-Spring, Durham, also with his oldest brother Ralph, who is now a brick layer.
Robert was in the 3rd Battalion of the Coldstream Guards, and the units for active service started from their quarters by half-battalions, and were taken by rail to Southampton and thence across the Channel to Le Havre. The 4th Guards Brigade, [which contained the 3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards], left the UK Twenty-four hours before the 1st Guards Brigade, and the first part of the Regiment to move was the 2nd Battalion. They marched out of Victoria Barracks, Windsor, on the night of the 11th-12th, embarked in the Olympia ship number 139955, and Novara, ship number 131860, which also carried the Irish Guards, and disembarked in the afternoon of the 13th August.
The 3rd Battalion left Chelsea Barracks in the morning of the 12th August, when H. M., Queen Alexandra honoured the Left-half Battalion by going to see them off from their quarters; and arriving at Southampton, they embarked in the Cawdor Castle , ship number 114823 and disembarked in the afternoon of the 13th August.
On the evening of the 14th August orders were received to entrain the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, and the 3rd Battalion left the rest camp at 8.40 p.m. to start at 10. But the railway authorities were not ready, as a result the troops did not leave the station until 2 am. They proceeded by Rouen, Amiens, Arras, Cambrai, Busigny to Wassigny, which they reached at 6pm on the 15th August. In pouring rain they detrained an spent the night at Etreux. Next day, marched to Grougis, eight miles on from Etreux, then stayed there on the 20th August.
The 3rd Battalion arrived at Harveng at 8.00am.
At Hyon, [a mile south east of Mons], the 3rd Battalion heard the distant sounds of War for the first time. On Sunday, the 23rd August the first engagement took pace between the Germans and the British Army.
The 2nd and 3rd Battalions were at first ordered back to Quevy le Petit, but hardly had got there than they were moved forward to Harveng. At 3pm a message came from the General Officer Commanding the 3rd Division asking for assistance, and the 2nd Battalion Grenadier and 1st Battalion Irish Guards were immediately sent over from that Division a part of the line lying to the north of Harmignies, where they came under artillery fire and lost seven men wounded. The 3rd Battalion remained in support covering the village of Harveng.
The battalion dug themselves in and were ordered to hold the village during the night. Eight miles away Northwest Mons could be seen in Flames and covered by a dense pall of Smoke. The retreat from Mons resumed on the 25th August, they reached Landrecies in the afternoon. The Germans were trying to seize crossings over the River Sambre. No 2 Company, 3rd Battalion, was on piquet on the road to Le Quesnoy, and during the afternoon they drove back German hostile patrols who were pushing down the road. They were relieved by no 3 Company at 7pm. Throughout the night the enemy attacked the 3rd Battalion again and again. But they were beaten back by our disciplined firing.
Eventually the Germans worked up along the hedges and partially enfiladed the right half of the line, which moved back a few paces to get cover from a cottage nearby.
The 3rd Battalion withdrew, as they had suffered heavy casualties, specially from artillery shells. The losses were severe for the 3rd Battalion, 12 killed all ranks, 105 wounded, 7 missing.
Robert was killed at Landrecis by shellfire on the 25th August 1914.
De Ruvigny Roll of Honour
Robert Anderson is remembered in Houghton-le-Spring on H132.01 and H132.02