Illustrated Chronicle 05/05//1916
Medal Card Index
Robert Henry Dunn Hogg was born at 87 Grey Street, North Shields, in April 1876, to William George Hogg, [born October 1851, son of Septimus Oliver Hogg], and Mary Ann Dunn, born 1856, [daughter of Robert Dunn born 1830]. William George Hogg was the second eldest boy of 8 children, they were married in April 1873.
The children were William G.W. Hogg born 1874, [Spirit merchant assistant], Ernest W. born 31st December 1878, House and Ship painter, [married Jane, born 18th July 1887, and had three children, John Taylor Hogg, born 6th May 1917, Ester Hogg, born 10th May 1920 and May Dunn Hogg, born 26th November 1922, and were residing at 50 Simpson Street, Tynemouth in 1939], Septimus Oliver Hogg, born 22nd June 1884, died 1954, Joseph Albert Hogg, born 1887, Henry Dunn Hogg, born 1890, Florence Beatrice Hogg, born January 1891 died July 1891, Oswald Hogg born October 1893 and Mary Jane Dunn Hogg born 1895.
Robert Henry Dunn Hogg worked at Smiths Dock as a painter and Labourer in the Pontoons Department at North Shields.
Robert married Sarah Anne Hunter [nee Rowntree], born April 1876, in 1899 at the Christ Church, Tynemouth. [Sarah Anne was the daughter of a Robert Palem Rowntree, born 1844 died 1914, he was married to Christine Ridley, born 1848 died 1897].
In 1901 they were residing at 30 Camden Street, prior to moving to 27 Stanley Street, North Shields. They had six children, William George, born 12th May 1901, Winifrid May, born 1904, Robert Henry, born 1910, Phyllis, born 20th July 1907, died 1971, Christine and Elsie M.
Robert attested at Newcastle-upon-Tyne into the 3rd Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, the 3rd Battalion was a Special Reserve battalion based in Newcastle upon Tyne at the outbreak of war. In August 1914 it moved to East Boldon (near Sunderland) where it remained throughout the war as part of the Tyne Garrison, and provided drafts to the regular (1st and 2nd) battalions.
Robert was transferred into the 9th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers about May 1915, as replacements. He was sent to France on the 3rd August 1915, as the first lot of drafts required to make up the losses up to the month of August.
The 9th Battalion were part of the 52nd Brigade in the 17th Northern Division. The 17th (Northern) Division was created under Northern Command in September 1914, just a month after the British entry into the Great War, from men volunteering for Lord Kitchener's New Armies. Most of the volunteers had had little prior military experience.
Worsening the situation was an acute lack of experienced officers and NCO's to train the new men as, due to the huge expansion of the British Army, experienced soldiers were needed everywhere. Furthermore, weapons and equipment, along with billets, were scarce.
The division, commanded by Major General Walter Kenyon-Slaney, part of Kitchener's Second New Army (K2), concentrated throughout Dorset for training, moving to Hampshire in late May 1915. In early July the division sent advance parties to France in preparation for a move overseas, the rest of the division following a week later, moving to Saint-Omer for concentration. The division was to remain on the Western Front for the rest of the war, with most of the rest of 1915 being spent in the southern sector of the Ypres Salient, being instructed in trench warfare.
Robert Hogg was killed by an artillery shell in a trench.
His wife was residing at 10 Chirton View, North Shields, at the time of his death, and his parents were now residing at Brannen Street.
Shields Daily News 01/05/1916:
'NORTH SHIELDS MAN KILLED IN ACTION 'THE COOLEST AND MOST CHEERY MAN IN THE TRENCHES'Mrs Hogg of 10 Chirton West View, has received official information stating that her husband, Private Robert H. Dunn Hogg, of the 9th Northumberland Fusiliers, was killed in action on Easter Monday morning. Mrs Hogg has received the following letter from the captain of his company:-
Dear Mrs Hogg,
I presume you have learned by now the very sad news of your husband, who was killed in a heavy bombardment yesterday morning, and it is with the object of conveying to you the heartfelt sympathies of the officers and men of his company that I am now writing to you. He was loved here by everyone of us and was surely the coolest and most cheery man in the trenches. Chatting cheerily to those whose nerves had given way under the strain, I was near to him at the time and heard him say to someone, "Keep your heart up, lad, you'll pull through this alright; what has to be will be." I was moving away then, and just afterwards heard the shell burst which killed two men and wounded two officers and another man. I turned back and got Mr Hogg pulled out of the mess, and saw he was badly wounded in the back and legs. We got him on to a stretcher. I took hold of his hands and asked if he knew me but he only murmured, 'My poor wife, my poor bairns,' and died. It was all over within five minutes. We all recognise, I can assure you, that we have lost one of our best men in the company, and in closing, allow me to tender you my own personal deepest sympathy to you and the children in your sad bereavement. I may add that he has been taken out of the trenches and buried in a military cemetery in the town of Armentieres.
Shields Daily News 01/05/1916
HOGG. killed in action in France, 24th April aged 40. Private Robert H. Dunn Hogg, N.F. 10 Chirton West View. Dearly beloved husband of Sarah A. Hogg, and son of Mr and Mrs W.G. Hogg, Brannen Street. Deeply mourned by his wife and children; also father mother, brothers and sister.
Shields Daily News 04/05/1916
LOCAL MEN KILLED IN ACTION
Private ROBT. H. DUNN HOGG of 9th N.F., killed in action on April 24, 1916. He resided at 10 Chirton West View, North Shields, and was an employee at Smith's Dock previous to joining the Colours.
Footnote : Robert Hogg is entered twice in the Smith Docks Remembrance books, he was a painter working in the pontoons department, and was also a labourer in the same department! they also enlisted him in the 15th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, there was only one Robert Henry Dunn Hogg at Smiths Docks.
Robert Henry Dunn Hogg is remembered in North Shields on N34.04, in N34.30 on page 6 and page 25, and at Tynemouth in T36.14 page 14, also at South Shields in S86.004 page 6 and 25, and at Harton on H104.01 and also at Middlesbrough
