Photo : David Sloan

Medal Index Card

Photo :George Grantham Bain

Bagthorpe Military Hospital

Photo : James Pasby 2014

Robert Reid Revely was born in Redcar in July 1885, baptised on the 9th August 1885, the second eldest of six children to a William Wardle Revely, [born Gateshead, 1861, baptised on the 21st July 1861, a Musician, died in December 1926, and his wife Annie Elizabeth Revely, born 15th February 1861]. They were married in 1883. However two children died.

Roberts father William Wardle Revely had volunteered into the Militia on the 9th July 1888 at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. William was 27 years of age, and was residing at 6 Stewart Street, Chester Road, Sunderland. His service record indicates that he was married with three children under 14. One of these would have been Robert Reid Revely. He was assigned service number 2178, 5 feet 3 inches tall sallow Complexion, Hazel eyes and Brown Hair with no distinguishing marks, and was in the Durham Light Infantry as a Private. He had previously served in the 4th Durham Light Infantry for 6 years.

He then was re engaged on the 22nd July 1891 and received 30 shillings for re-enlisting.

As a Militia volunteer he attended the Annual camps from 1888 all the way to 1892 then was absent in 1893.

In 1891, Robert Reid Revley was residing at 14 Stewart Street, Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, with his oldest brother William Albert Revely, born 12th January 1884, younger brother James Arthur Revely born 1888 and his parents.

In 1901, Robert and his brothers, now with an additional brother Ernest Reginald Revely, born 1899, are residing at 28 Gill Bridge Avenue, Sunderland staying at the residence of their mothers sister Alice, and with his mother Annie Elizabeth Revely.

In 1911, Robert is now residing at 35 Blandford Street, Sunderland as a Boarder, his trade now is an apprentice Riveter at a local shipyard, prior to this he was a Holder upper in the shipyard, and his father and mother and two brothers, William Albert Revely and Ernest Reginald Revely had moved to West Hartlepool, at 23 Archer Street, West Hartlepool. Also one of the children had died.

Robert Reid Revely attested into the Independent Northern Cyclist Battalion, at Sunderland, his service number was 317 and was in Company 'A' as a private. He enlisted around March 1915, Sunderland probably at Southwick Drill Hall.

The Hutton Terrace drill hall is a former military installation in Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, and became the headquarters of the 8th (Cyclist) Battalion, The Northumberland Fusiliers when that unit was renamed the Northern Cyclist Battalion in 1910. The majority of the battalion was newly raised at Sunderland (later at Newcastle-on-Tyne) in October 1908, as a bicycle infantry battalion of the British Army's Territorial Force. One existing cyclist company at Sunderland transferred from the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, Durham Light Infantry. Initially designated as the 8th (Cyclist) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers, in 1910 the new unit was separated from that regiment and redesignated as the independent Northern Cyclist Battalion.

The Northern Cyclist Battalion independent battalion; HQ moved to Sandyford Road, Newcastle-on-Tyne.
'A' Company at Sunderland, Southwick Drill Hall, also Drill Hall at Livingstone Road.
'B' Company at Sunderland, Southwick Drill Hall, also Drill Hall at Livingstone Road.
'C' Company at West Hartlepool
'D' Company at Chester-le-Street
'E' Company at Newcastle-on-Tyne, 7 Ridley Place.
'F' Company at Blyth
'G' Company at Whitley Bay
'H' Company at Newcastle-on-Tyne

In accordance with the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw. 7, c.9) which brought the Territorial Force into being, the TF was intended to be a home defence force for service during wartime and members could not be compelled to serve outside the country. However, on the outbreak of war on the 4th August 1914, many members volunteered for Imperial Service. Therefore, TF units were split in August and September 1914 into 1st Line (liable for overseas service) and 2nd Line (home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas) units. Later, 3rd Line units were formed to act as reserves, providing trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Lines.

The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before moving to its pre-planned war station at Morpeth. The drill hall was, at that time, also home to 1st Northumbrian Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps. The Northern Cyclist Battalion was absorbed into the 3rd (Northumbrian) Medium Brigade, Royal Garrison Artillery in 1920, and the building was subsequently decommissioned and converted for residential use.

Robert we believe was in the 1/1st Northern Cyclist Battalion.

The 3rd Line battalion was formed at Newcastle in 1915 to provide trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Line battalions. It was disbanded in March 1916 and the men were posted to 1/1st and 2/1st Battalions and to the Machine Gun Corps.

Army Order 477
The formation of a specialist army cyclist corps was authorised by Army Order 477, dated 7th November 1914. When the order came into effect, all men who were serving with the divisional cyclist companies, or who were in training as cyclists to provide drafts for those companies, would be transferred into the new corps the Army Cyclist Corps.

He married Katherine 'Kate' [nee Docherty], in the first Quarter of 1916 whilst on leave. They had a son Robert Reid Revely born 18th March 1916, who in 1939 was residing at 6 Landseer Street, Battersea, London, as a Engineers Turner Heavy Worker, with the Ridge family.

Now in the Army Cyclist Corps 'B' Squadron nu 26. He is sent to France around March 1916. On the 5th September, 1916 Robert is reporting sick with Scabies and is transported from the 11th Casualty Clearing Station, then located at Gezaincourt, via the 22nd Ambulance Train on the 6th September.

After September 1916, Robert is now in the 55th Battalion Machine Gun Corps with yet another service number 148622. He is now transferred in to the 55th (West Lancashire) Division.

The Infantry Branch was by far the largest and was formed by the transfer of battalion machine gun sections to the MGC. These sections were grouped into Brigade Machine Gun Companies, three per division. New companies were raised at Grantham. In 1917, a fourth company was added to each division. In February and March 1918, the four companies in each division were formed into a Machine Gun Battalion.

The pursuit to Mons, a phase of the Final Advance in Artois (2nd October to the 11th November) in which the Division occupied La Bassee (2nd October), crossed the Haute Deule Canal (14th to the 16th October) and captured Ath 9th-11th November). The Division had advanced 50 miles in 80 days. The most forward units were on the line Bassilly-Thoricourt.

The War Diary for the day mentions 2 men wounded, one of these being Robert.

He would have been taken to a Casualty Clearing station and was sent to Bagthorpe Military Hospital by Rail, in the UK based at Nottingham, Bagthorpe Military Hospital had its own railway station, with wounds unknown, to recover.

He died at 9pm on the 10th November 1918 from his wounds.

His widow wrote on November 12th 1918 from 20 Gladstone Street, Roker Avenue, Sunderland to the Paymaster of the Machine Gun Section as follows:

Dear Sir,
Would you kindly give my small request your attention. My husband, Priv, Robert Reid Revely No. 148622 Machine Gun Corps was wounded in France on the 18th ult., was invalided into Bagthorpe Military Hospital Nottingham on the 20th Oct. and died on Sunday night at 9 p.m. Nov. 10th inst. My desire is that you will kindly send on to the above address the whole of his belongings, kit, private papers, money, etc. I shall be very grateful to you if you will oblige me in this matter. It may seem a small thing to ask for but it means a lot to me, anticipating a favourable reply.
I beg to remain, Yours sincerely, Mrs. Kate Revely.

Acknowledgments: Mrs. Irene Gaskell

Robert Reid Revely is remembered at Sunderland in S140.048, spelt 'Reveley', on page 226.

Also CWGC has his name as Reverley. However the name should be Revely.

There is a Memorial to the Machine Gun Corps.

A memorial to the 15,552 wartime fatalities of the Machine Gun Corps was unveiled on the 10th May 1925 by the Duke of Connaught, at Hyde Park Corner in London. It features a bronze statue by Francis Derwent Wood in the Renaissance style, depicting the youthful David after his defeat of the giant Goliath, an event described in the Book of Samuel; on lower plinths flanking the figure are two bronze models of Vickers machine guns, wreathed in laurels.

A short service of remembrance known as the Annual Observance is held on the second Saturday in May at the Memorial, which is organised by the Machine Gun Corps Old Comrades' Association. On Remembrance Sunday, the second Sunday in November, there is also a wreath laying ceremony held in conjunction with the ceremony at the nearby Royal Artillery Memorial.

Footnote: This man was featured on Look North BBC North East News on the 8th November 2018. As part of the BBC North East Centenary Commemorations.

Ambulance Trains
Bagthorpe Military Hospital.
The CWGC entry for Private Revely