In Tezze British Cemetery, Italy is the Commonwealth War Grave of 27692 Corporal Robert Douglas serving with “A” Company, 10th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers who died 27/10/1918.
Wounded on the Somme
July 1916
It is God’s will
The son of Robert and Annie Lillian Douglas, of Whitley Bay.
In Corbridge Cemetery is a family headstone which reads:
To the dear memory of
Robert Douglas,
who died 10th February 1928,
aged 59 years.
Also Annie Lilian Douglas,
beloved wife of the above
who died 6th March 1962,
aged 90 years.
Also Robert Douglas,
eldest son of the above,
killed in action,
28th October 1918, aged 24 years,
and is interred in Tezze British
Cemetery, Italy.
Charles Frederick Douglas,
third son of the above,
who died of wounds,
2 Sep. 1918, aged 20 years,
and is interred in Bac du Sud
British Cemetery, France.
Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:
Born in 1894 in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, when the family were living at Grove Street with his father’s grandmother, young Robert was the oldest son of local boot and shoemaker Robert Douglas and his wife Annie Lillian (nee Proctor), originally from Liverpool.
By 1901 the family had relocated to Whitley Bay and lived at 5 Edwards Street with Elizabeth (b.1890), Lillian (b.1891), Robert, Charles (b.1897), Norman (b.1900), also their mother’s younger sister Margaret. Ten years later, and with the addition of Harry (b.1902) and Rita (b.1907), they were living at Northwell, South Parade, Whitley Bay where Robert worked alongside his father in the boot/shoe shop.
It is known that Robert enlisted in Whitley Bay with the Northumberland Fusiliers, but not when. He was not awarded the 14/15 Star so would not have been posted to France until 1916.
As part of 68th Brigade, 23rd Division by the end of June 1916 10th NF were in reserve behind the Somme frontline, entering the battlefield on 3rd July and it was in the fighting near Pozieres on 28th July that Corporal Douglas of “A” Company was wounded. Relieved at the beginning of August the battalion was sent to the relatively quiet sector of Ploegsteert, returning to the Somme in mid-September.
In October they were transferred to X Corps and posted to the Ypres Salient until February 1917. The division returned to the front line on 10th May in the region of Hill 60 and began preparations for the attack at Messines, and then Passchendaele.
In November 1917 five British Divisions were sent to Italy from the Western Front to join French and Commonwealth forces. As part of 23rd Division 10th Northumberland Fusiliers arrived in Italy on 13th November 1917 concentrating between Mantua and Marcaria before taking over the front line at Montello hill on 4th December. They spent the remainder of the war on the Italian Front serving as part of the Italian Tenth Army fighting the Austro-Hungarian troops. At the beginning of October 1918, the battalion moved to Montecchio Maggiore, then travelled by train and foot to Catena, where the division took its place in the line on the right bank of the Piave river on 21st October.
The Battle of Vittorio Veneto 23rd October – 4th November 1918
At night, the main channel of the river was crossed using small boats and the northern half of the island of Grava di Papadopoli was occupied, the occupation being completed two nights later by a combined Commonwealth and Italian force. After the capture of the island, the bridging of the Piave proceeded rapidly, although the strength of the current meant that the two bridges built for the crossing were frequently broken and many men were drowned. The Allied attack east of the Piave began early in the morning 27th October 1918.
Corporal Robert Douglas was killed in action that day and is buried at Tezze British Cemetery along with many of those who died on the north-east side of the river during the Passage of the Piave.
Robert Douglas is remembered at Whitley Bay on W84.01 and W84.31.
