In St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen, France is the Commonwealth War Grave of 13143 Serjeant Richard Hope serving with the 14th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry who died 21/09/1918.

He was the son of Richard and Eliza Hope, of 50, High Street, West Stanley, County Durham.

Soldiers Died in the Great War  states that he was born in West Stanley and enlisted in Stanley.

There is a query here. The Stanley Book of Remembrance and the plaque give his rank as Company Sergeant Major who earned a Military Medal. [This is an error. No Richard Hope with the Service number 13143 of the Durham Light Infantry was awarded the Military Medal. The D.L.I. Book of Remembrance and the CWGC both have him entered as a Serjeant with no decorations, which is correct].

Source: Military Medal Register.

Sources:  Western Front Association;  British Newspaper Archive; Military Medal Register

Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-

Richard Maximilian Hope was one of 7 children of whom 6 are known by name and only 4 survived.

His father Richard Hope was a British Subject born in 1863 in the town of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and baptised, November 29th 1863, British Chaplaincy, Dusseldorf, Rhineland. Bochum had a history of mining and steel production offering Richard Hope’s father, John Hope, employment as a miner. 

John Hope met Julia Meier who was born in Meideric, part of the city of Duisburg, Germany, whom he married October 11th 1859 at St. Ann’s, Newcastle upon Tyne before returning to Germany where the family remained until returning to England between 1874 and 1880.

John and Julie Hope settled at 6th Cross Row, in the village of Haswell, County Durham, with  their 5 children, who with the exception of George (1), were born in Germany. Richard (16) and John (14) together with their father were employed as coal miners, Maximilian (12) and William (7) were scholars. 

Ten years later in 1891 they were living in the village of Havannah, parish of Tanfield, at Louisa Terrace and most probably Richard and his father worked in the Louisa Pit, John was employed as an engine fitter, William a  blacksmith but George was a student. 

Living in their household as a visitor was Eliza Rowland (20), she and Richard Hope were married during the 4th quarter (Oct/Nov/Dec) 1891 in Guisborough, Yorkshire. Eliza originated from Skelton where she was born in 1870.

Their first born child, John Ernest was born in Guisborough in 1892 but they then returned to West Stanley, County Durham, where Eliza gave birth to Matthew in 1893, Richard Maximilian 1895, Julia Margaret 1898 and Jane 1899 who sadly died not yet 1 year old. Their youngest child Jennifer affectionately known as Jenny, was born at 1, Rifle Street, Stanley. Richard supported his wife and children working as a stone man and coal miner.

Tragedy befell the family once again in 1910 when their eldest surviving son John Ernest died aged 18 years, there is no record of this being related to coal mining. 

In 1911 the remainder of the family and Richard’s parents were all living at 5, Fanny Pit Cottage, West Stanley, County Durham. Richard Hope was now a deputy overman and despite his advanced years, his father John Hope (75) was still employed as a colliery overman. Richard Maximilian (16) and his brother Matthew (17) worked as manual labourers in the building trade, Julia (12) and Jenny (10) were scholars.

Britain declared a state of war existed with Germany, August 4th 1914. In answer to Kitchener’s call to arms men from all walks of life volunteered to serve as all regiments were ordered to raise new battalions. This must have been a difficult time for the Hope boys given the fact their mother was German with family still living in Germany.

Richard Maximilian Hope enlisted as Richard Hope at Stanley, County Durham, and was assigned to the 14th Battalion Durham Light Infantry which had originally been formed  together with the 15th Battalion in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, from the first 2,000 volunteers, then attached to the 64th Brigade, 21st Division. 

Initial training was slow due to the lack of equipment and experienced officers. With the onset of winter the division which had moved in October 1914 to Halton Park, then transferred from their tented camp into billets at High Wycombe in November 1914 where they received khaki uniforms and rifles and training began in earnest. 

They returned to the newly built billets at Halton Park in April 1915 then moved to Witley in July for final training. The main body of men departed to the front, September 11th 1915, and within weeks were in reserve during the Battle of Loos, September 25th-October 8th 1915.

Having risen to the rank of Sergeant 13143 Richard Hope departed to France, October 8th 1915 to join his regiment. At the end of November 1915 the 14th Battalion D.L.I. transferred to the 6th Division in Belgium where it spent the winter in and out of the trenches of the Ypres salient returning to France during the Battles of the Somme where they were not heavily involved then moved to the Cambrin sector. 

The 14th Battalion spent its second winter in the trenches, subjected to heavy shelling. During their tour as of January 1st 1917 they had put wire out along the whole front line at Boyau, pumped and drained the trenches and cleared parapet falls at Railway Alley, Lewis Alley and Munster Parade. Patrols went out each night to examine No Man’s Land and enemy wire.

During his Army service Sergeant Hope rose through the ranks attaining that of Acting Warrant Officer II and is known to have given attention to Lieutenant James Harry Edwards a native of South Shields and late of Windsor Terrace, Newcastle upon Tyne at the time of his death, January 7th 1917 whilst in the trenches at Cambrin.

The division was moved to the coal fields of Lens sustaining casualties during the capture of Nash Alley. After months in the trenches and a period of training, November 1917 the division joined the tank attack at Cambrai but were forced back during the German counter-attack with further heavy losses.

All regiments had sustained so many killed and wounded by February 1918 the British Army on the Western Front had to be reorganised. The 14th Battalion was one of those broken up, then disbanded and sent to other battalions in need of reinforcements. 

Acting Warrant Officer Hope was posted to the 15th Battalion Durham Light Infantry which in April was at rest with the 21st Division near Rheims before returning to front line action in May 1918. After the arrival of further reinforcements in August the 21st Division joined the advance across the old Somme battlefield pushing the Germans back towards Maubeuge, paying a heavy price with many killed and wounded.

Acting Warrant Officer 13143 Richard Hope was wounded in the line of duty, a gun shot wound to the left foot and succumbed to wounds sustained, September 21st 1918. He is at rest within St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen, Siene-Maritime, France grave R. III. G. 24. 

The cemetery was used by the hospitals and recuperation centres stationed on the outskirts of Rouen although there is no record of him having been admitted to any of them. It can only be presumed that he died en-route during his evacuation from the battlefield by the Field Ambulance.

The C.W.G.C. have listed his sacrifice with his initial rank as Sergeant 13143 Richard Hope, He was 23 years of age and single.

Eliza Hope as sole legatee of her late son’s Will received all monies due to him from the Army, his awards of the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal and a pension as of April 1st 1919 sent to her at 50, High Street, West Stanley, County Durham. His father commissioned at a cost of 18 pence an additional inscription to be added to his late son’s military headstone, it reads, “R.I.P.”

The mother of the aforementioned Lieutenant Edwards in recognition of Sergeant Hope’s care for her son presented a marble plaque to St. Andrew’s Church, Church Bank, Stanley, in his memory.

Eliza Hope nee Rowland died in 1939 and was buried within Stanley New Cemetery, County Durham, widower Richard Hope in 1943 registered in the district of Sunderland, historically in County Durham.

In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.

 Richard Hope is remembered at Stanley in S135.04, page 10 and on S135.07 and in the D.L.I. Book of Remembrance, page 257.