John, William and Daniel Robertson
Photo: Pauline Priano
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
William John Robertson, one of 14 children, was the eldest of 5 sons and had 1 elder and 8 younger sisters. His father Daniel Robertson was born, November 27th 1867, at Greenock, Scotland, however his father, shipwright John Robertson had moved his family to Barrow in Furness, Lancashire by 1881, where Daniel was married, February 17th 1890, to local girl, Sarah Williams, born 1872. Their daughter Florence was born, June 4th 1890, the following year they were living at 4d, Sloop Street, Barrow, Daniel was employed as a plumber at the shipyard, to increment their family income they had taken in boarders, John and Mary Forster. They moved between Barrow, Ireland and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, until 1902, during which time they had a further 7 children William John 1892 and Daniel Jnr 1894 at Barrow, Lillie 1895, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Mary Jane known as Polly, May 24th 1898 and Elizabeth Ann, October 13th 1899 at 11, Dunn Street, Newcastle, John Alfred 1902 at Barrow and finally made Newcastle their permanent home as shipbuilding on the River Tyne offered plenty of opportunity for Daniel to find work. By 1911 Sarah had given birth to Alice Maud 1905, Alfred 1907. Sarah Wilhelmina, November 2nd 1908 and Joseph Bayliss, November 19th 1910 while they were living at 70, Railways Street, sadly he died in 1911 not yet 1-year old. After his death the family transferred to 49, Railway Street, Daniel Jnr (15) was an apprentice plumber, his father had maintained his employment as a plumber at the shipyards, Lillie was now the eldest living at home, Daniel and Sarah had another child Amanda Catherine born, March 1st 1913.
William John had left the family home by 1911, he was employed as a coal miner/putter below ground, living as a boarder at 981/2 Poplar Street, Washington, the home of builder’s plasterer John McGregor and his wife Mary Ellen. He was married in 1913 to Theresa Smith, born April 2nd 1892, their daughter Doris was born, May 21st 1914.
Doris was little more than two months old when war was declared, August 4th 1914. William John enlisted at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, assigned as Private 8106 he was posted to the 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers. The 1st battalion Northumberland Fusiliers was attached to the 9th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division and landed at Le Havre within days of the declaration of war, August 14th 1914, Private Robertson departed to France, November 28th 1914, joining his regiment in the field at the conclusion of the First Battle of Ypres in Belgium which raged from October 19th until November 22nd 1914.
The division remained in the sector spending the winter of 1914-1915 in the mud filled trenches. At the conclusion of the 2nd Battle of Ypres, April 22nd-May 25th 1915, the German trenches between the Menin Road and the Ypres-Roulers railway had formed a salient. The Germans from the high ground to the east of Bellewaarde Ridge were able to overlook the ground to the east of Ypres. Under cover of the early morning mist at 2 a.m. on the morning of June 16th 1915, the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers, 9th Brigade, 3rd Division, were situated to the west of Railway Wood and only a few yards away across no-man’s-land were the German lines. Just before 3 a.m. the British bombardment began before the major attack on the German lines. By the end of the day the British had sustained 4,000 casualties, amongst those reported as missing or wounded was Private Robertson. After extensive investigations as to his whereabouts Theresa was informed, November 7th 1915, that he was presumed to have been killed, June 16th 1915.
The sacrifice of Private 8106 William John Robertson Northumberland Fusiliers is recorded as one of the 54,395 names inscribed on the Menin Gate Memorial to the missing, Ypres, Belgium, commemorating servicemen from the Commonwealth forces who died on the Ypres salient up to and including July 15th 1917, “but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.” Private Robertson was 23 years of age.
His widow received all monies due to him from the Army, his awards of the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal also a pension for herself and their daughter, awarded February 3rd 1916, of 15 shillings to be received weekly as of February 7th 1916 until Doris reached the age of 16-years. Theresa was not eligible for a grant, equivalent to 1 year of her husband’s pay.
William John’s brother Daniel Robertson Jnr also served during WW1 with the Northumberland Fusiliers, he survived the conflict, married Helen Mary Oliver with whom he had children and died in 1986, circa 92 years of age.
William John’s parents welcomed their youngest child Wilhelmina in 1916 who sadly died during the 1st quarter 1917 only 1-year old, as did their 33-year-old daughter Lillie Mole nee Robertson in 1919 who had married for a second time to William Anderson in 1917. Daniel Robertson Snr of 91, Beaumont Street, Westerhope died April 7th 1920 aged 52-years.
In 1919 widow Theresa Robertson remarried in the district of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, to Joseph Taylor, born at Newcastle, November 24th 1888 and with whom she had 2 children, Gladys, May 4th 1919 and Lillian, January 18th 1923. In 1939 they were living at 7, Joseph’s Street, Newcastle, where Joseph was employed as a slotting machinist, Gladys a gauger machinist and Lillian a drilling machinist. Theresa Taylor-Robertson nee Smith (82) died in 1974, her death was preceded by that of her mother in law Sarah Robertson nee Williams and second husband Joseph Taylor in 1955, both registered at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland.
William John and Theresa’s daughter, Doris Robertson, married Richard Charles Hepworth in 1935, he was born in Northumberland in 1913 and with whom she had 2 children, Ronald in 1935, Irene 1937 and possibly Doris 1941. In 1939 they were living at 3, Joseph Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland. Doris Hepworth nee Robertson (circa 87) died in 2001, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest in Peace.
William John Robertson is not remembered on a local War Memorial.
