On the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, France is the name of D.L.I. 2738 Private Robert Henry Elliott, serving with the 1/6th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, who died 16/09/1916.

Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
The second son of John Thomas Elliott, miner, part time church organist and later foreman at Bitchburn Pipe Works, and his wife Mary Elizabeth (nee Swam), Robert was born in 1885 while the family were living in Sheffield.  He had older siblings Wilfred and Eveline, and then came James, Olive, May, Gladys and Margaret, two other siblings had died in infancy.

By 1901 the family were living in High Street, Howden le Wear and Robert like his brother Wilfred before him was an apprentice blacksmith at the colliery.  By the time of the 1911 census Robert was married and living with his wife Margaret Ann (nee Horner) and two children in Victoria Row, Howden le Wear, and working as a coal hewer.  At the time of his enlistment with the DLI in 1914  Robert and Margaret were living at 27 Low Thompson Street, Witton Park with five young children, Margaret, Wilfred, Richard, George Henry and new born James.

On the 19th April 1915 6/2738 Private Robert Henry Elliott sailed for France with the 1/6th Battalion DLI, and within days was fighting at Ypres, and they remained in the area for over 12 months. Moving south to join the Battle for the Somme 1/6 DLI joined the fighting for the first time on 16th September 1916, when it attacked a strongly held German trench but was driven back with heavy casualties. Amongst those killed, and whose body was never recovered, was Robert Henry Elliott.

During the war Robert’s parents ran the Neville’s Cross Hotel in Durham, and afterwards moved to a house in the North Bailey, Durham.

His brothers James Copeland and Wilfred also died in WW1.

Robert Henry Elliott is remembered at Bishop Auckland on B140.27, page 25, at Durham on D47.029, at Witton Park on W125.02 and W125.04, and also at Durham in the D.L.I. Book of Remembrance, page 247.