Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Robert Frederick Whitwell was born in 1894 at Stillington, County Durham, one of 11 children of whom only 10 survived he was the 4th born of 6 sons and 4 daughters, father William Whitwell born 1842 at Easingwold, County Durham and his second wife Elizabeth Horner of Raskelf, Yorkshire born 1856, a single mother with a son of her own, John William born 1870 as Raskelfe Yorkshire, whom he married in 1877. John William did not live with William and Elizabeth, he was brought up by her parents Joseph and Jane Horner, agricultural labourers.
William Whitwell supported his family employed as an agricultural labourer at Husthwaite in 1881 but had moved to 13, Lowson Street, Stillington, Stockton by 1891 employed by Carlton Iron Works as an iron labourer, as was son Sidney (17). Ada (15), Amelia (11) and Clara (10) were scholars, William (8), Walter (3) and Elizabeth (6 weeks) remained at home with their mother. Both William and Walter ten years later were working at the Iron Works as labourers.
In 1910 their father died aged 68 years, Walter and Robert Frederick who was now 17 years of age supported their mother and brothers James (11) and Charles (8) employed at Carlton Iron Works. Living with them at 22, Lowson Street, Stillington, was their married sister Elizabeth, her husband George Stephenson, a bricklayer at the blast furnace and 4-month old son George.
On the outbreak of war Robert Frederick Whitwell was 20 years of age. He enlisted at Stockton, assigned as Private 32136 Durham Light Infantry and transferred to the 2nd Battalion. Training completed he departed for the Western Front after January 1916 where he joined his Battalion, in the field, on the Ypres salient. They were moved south in late July 1916 in order to join the fighting on the Somme.
The 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry attached to the 18th Brigade 6th Division did not see front line action until the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, September 15th-22nd before being withdrawn in reserve. Private Whitwell was wounded in the line of duty, exact date unknown, and evacuated back through the lines to an area known by the troops as Grove Town, in the vicinity of the village of Meaulte, where September 14th 1916 the 34th and 2/2nd Casualty Clearing Stations had been established to deal with casualties from the Somme.
Private 32136 Robert Frederick Whitwell Durham Light Infantry died of wounds received in action, October 18th 1916 and interred at Grove Town Cemetery, Meaulte, Somme, France, grave I. N. 33. He was 22 years old and single.
His mother Elizabeth received all monies due to him, a pension and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to her at 22, Lowson Street, Carlton Iron Works, Stillington, County Durham. She commissioned and paid for an additional inscription to be added to his military headstone, it reads, “Ever Remembered By His Mother Sisters & Brothers”.
Elizabeth Whitwell nee Horner died at Stillington, County Durham in 1923 aged 67 years.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Robert Frederick Whitwell is remembered at Stillington on S137.01 and S137.02
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 288
