At Landrecies Communal Cemetery, France is the Commonwealth War Grave of 8170 Private Thomas Robson, serving with the 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards who died 25/08/1914.
Thomas Robson was born at Shieldfield, Newcastle on the 9th June 1891, the only son of Thomas Robson and his wife Mary Anne Elizabeth.
Thomas was educated at Gateshead and Shieldfield Council Schools. Thomas enlisted into the Coldstream Guards on the 23rd November 1908.
He married Annie Francis of 32 Werhum Street, Kennington, S.E., daughter of John Gosling, at St Mark’s, Kennington, S.E.. They had a daughter Annie born on the 29th November 1913.
He was killed in action at Landrecies on the 25th August 1914.
Corporal G. Gilliam wrote an article in the Penny Magazine dated 28/11/1914, which read as follows:- Many splendid things were done that night at Landrecies, but there was nothing finer than the work of our Maxim gunner Robson, who was on our left. Our machine guns were by now at our end of the town, and they had a solid mass of Germans to go at. Robson was sitting on his stool, and as soon as the officer ordered ‘Fire’ he pressed the two buttons and his Maxin [sic] hailed death.
It literally was a hail of fire that met the packed Germans, and absolutely swept down the head of the column, so that the street was choked in an instant with German dead. In spite of this absolute hell, a few Germans managed to break through their walls of dead and wounded. One of them disguised as a French Officer, and wanting us to think he had been a prisoner, but had just broken away from the Germans, rushed up to Robson and patted him on the shoulder and said ‘brave fellow’ and with that he whipped round his sword and killed our Maxim gunner on he spot. but he himself was instantly shot down by our enraged fellows. I suppose he did not mind taking his chance.
Source: De Ruvigny Roll of Honour
This is an extract from British Battles.com of the events described above :-
At 7pm, Heywoods Number 2 Company of 3rd Coldstream was relieved by Captain Moncks Number 3 Company. Monck received reports that French troops were expected through his position. In due course, a body of troops approached in the dusk, singing in French. Monck shouted a challenge and was answered in French. A flashlight was shined on the approaching troops. The leading files seemed to be in French uniforms, but they were followed by German troops (this seems likely to have been a misidentification in the dark, perhaps arising because the German troops in question were wearing forage hats and not helmets). Before the Coldstreamers could open fire, the Germans rushed the forward piquet, bayoneted the gunner at the machine gun, and dragged his gun away. Monck was knocked over in the rush. The piquet opened fire and the machine gun was recovered, the Germans falling back in the face of the British retaliation.
This was the same action that Private G H Wyatt, 2nd Coldstream Guards won the Victoria Cross for bravery at Landrecies and at Villers Cotterets.
With thanks to British Battles com
Source: The Coldstream Guards, 1914-1918 Volume 1 by Ross of Bladensburg.
Source: The Coldstream Guards casualty list. Private copy
Thomas Robson is remembered at Shieldfield on S109.07
