Ian Scott has submitted the following:
He was the son of Frank Robert Padley, chemist and druggist, and Hannah Padley (née Todd), of Wooler; he was born in 1894 at Wooler. In 1911 he was a 'Civil Service student' and later worked as a Civil Servant.
He joined the 'Queen's Westminster Territorials' presumably 1/16th or 2/16th Battalion London Regiment (Queen's Westminster Rifles) shortly after the war broke out.
Reportedly he spent time in Malta, before sailing for Egypt where he landed on 30th August 1915. From Egypt he went to Gallipoli landing on 7th October 1915. He left Gallipoli on 20th January 1916 arriving back in Egypt on 22nd January. He left Egypt for France on 7th April 1916, and landed at Marseille on 24th April 1916. He may have gone to Malta with the 1/2nd Battalion London Regiment, but he did not go to Egypt or Gallipoli with the Battalion because it had gone from Malta directly to France in January 1915. Nonetheless he was serving with the 1/2nd Battalion London Regiment when he was killed on the Somme in 1916.
‘A letter received by Mr Padley from a companion of his son, says they were proceeding along a communications trench, when stopped by a German bombing party. They contested them, but eventually had to retire. Just before, "Bob" had been hit through the neck and back by a sniper, and was unable to stand. Although efforts were made to get him away it was found to be impossible owing to the rough and broken state of the trench, and the advance of the enemy, it can therefore be concluded that he has been taken prisoner’ (Berwick Advertiser 14 July 1916)
He was recorded as missing presumed killed. His older brothers Arthur J Padley (No. 50153, King's Liverpool Regiment) and Charles Roff Padley (No.36841, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry) served during the war and both survived.
Robert Alexander Padley is remembered in Alnwick on A11.16, at Wooler on W68.01, W68.02 and W68.05 and in the Alnwick Gazette Almanack page 68
