Ridge Wood Military Cemetery
Ridge Wood Military Cemetery 2016
D.L.I. Memorial Book
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Robert Rivers was born 1893 in Spennymoor, one of seven surviving children, (one deceased), 4 boys and 3 girls born to Isaac Rivers (1868 Tudhoe - 1947 Tudhoe) and Ellen Embleton (1865 Belmont - 1941 Tudhoe), who were married 1890 in Bishop Auckland. His father worked as a hewer and he at the age of 18 was a putter at the colliery. Robert married Maria Robson in June 1914 just prior to the outbreak of the Great War.
His full military record no longer exists but as his enlistment number is low it is fair to say he enlisted in September 1914. His enlistment took place in Spennymoor and he was assigned to the 1st/6th Durham Light Infantry as Private 1/1446. The 6th Battalion D.L.I. was part of the 151st Brigade attached to the 50th Northumbrian Division. In March 1915 his Battalion was in billets in Gateshead when the order to mobilise came. The transport and machine gun sections were the first to move, entrained April 17th 1915 at the Cattle Market, Newcastle for Southampton bound for Le Havre. Two days later the remainder of the Battalion entrained at the Central Station, Newcastle for Folkestone and arrived in Boulogne the same day at about midnight and marched to Ostrohove Camp. They spent the next year involved in fight on the Salient around Ypres in Belgium known as the, “Bluff” and by April 12th 1916 were in the area of Ridge Wood where there was considerable aircraft activity as the weather was glorious. The shelling ceased and the British war planes easily predominated in the skies, in the following days the enemy was chased away but not before dropping about 200 5.9 shells near Gordons Farm in a vain search to hit the heavy field gun battery hidden there.
It was during the day of April 14th 1916 that Private 1446 Robert Rivers D. L. I. was killed in action. He is interred at Ridge Wood Military Cemetery, West Vlaanderen, Belgium, grave II. B. 6.
His grave bears the inscription, “HE NOBLY DIED TO SAVE OTHERS - REST IN PEACE”, commissioned by his widow Maria at a cost of 9/11 (nine shillings and eleven pence). Robert was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal, He was 23 years old. His widow Maria remarried in June 1919 to Alfred Bailey and was living at 6 Blandford Street Dean Bank, Ferryhill.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Robert Rivers is remembered at Chilton on C107.01, C107.04 and C107.12 and at Ferryhill F38.02
