Private. 10th Battalion, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. Regimental number 37568.
Previously, 1/5th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment. Regimental number 6081.
Early life:
Thomas’s parents were Ralph Robinson and Mary Emma Robinson née Elliott, who were married at the Primitive Methodist Chapel at Lane Ends in Oakworth on the 27th of February 1892. Ralph was aged 24 and a teamster living at Hoyle House Farm and Mary Emma was aged 22 and a piece minder at a worsted mill and living at 44, Apsley Terrace. (Ralph was a Carter in the 1891 census.)
Thomas was born on the first of December 1895 and his birth was registered at Keighley in the first quarter of 1896.
He was baptised at the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel at Pickles Hill on the 29th of March 1896. At that time they were living at Hob Cote Farm.
There are slight differences in the addresses around this time which suggests they had moved, because Ralph was on the electoral roll for 1895 at 5, Lower Scholes which is right next to Pickles Hill and the next year in 1896 he was at Hob Cote, having moving in that year from Scholes and this shows as successive addresses in the roll. In 1897 the electoral roll shows them at 4, Hob Cote which is a little more accurate than the previous year and could actually be the same address.
In the 1901 census they have moved again and were living at number 8 Barley Street at Ingrow. These are back to back houses and still exist today. Ralph is a working as teamster for a corn mill and Mary is aged 31 and looking after the family home. The children were Margaret aged eight; Minnie aged six; Thomas aged five and Fred aged one. The three eldest would have attended Ingrow Council School which was a couple of streets away.
Note: Barley, Wheat, Oat and Malt Streets were all located right next to Ingrow Corn Mill at that time, which suggests Thomas’s father Ralph was hauling the grain for that mill. Also, Maize, Corn, Bran and Rye streets were very close by, along with Ingrow Mill which also processed corn as well as paper. Corn husks and stalks can be used to make paper so perhaps these by-products went there and Ralph might also have hauled them.
The family moved several times in the next ten years and were living in rented houses. In 1903 they moved from 8, Barley Street to 102 Ingrow Lane.
1907 they moved from 102, Ingrow Lane to 138, Ingrow Lane.
1909 they moved from 138, Ingrow Lane to 2, Malt Street.
1910 they moved from 2, Malt Street to 25, Wheat Street.
In the 1911 census they were at 25, Wheat Street which was their final house move. They must have been relieved to finally find what they wanted for a permanent home.
It was a ‘through’ house and had space for the family to live in and it had a small yard at the back. Ralph was aged 43 and now he was a corn miller, Mary Emma was aged 40 and looking after the family home. They had now been married for twenty years and had produced five children who were all alive. They were: Margaret aged 18 and a worsted weaver; Minnie aged 16 and a worsted spinner, Thomas aged 15 and a roller brusher. (A roller brush was used to clean the surfaces of cloth to remove debris, dust, lint and fibres to give the cloth a smooth finish.) Fred was eleven and at school, whilst the youngest Mary Ethel was just three and still at home.
War service:
There are no Army service records available for Private Thomas Robinson as they were probably destroyed during the blitz in the Second World War when the document repository at Arnside Street was bombed.
The ‘Soldier’s effects’ calculation gives September 1915 for an approximate enlistment date. The Keighley News reported that he enlisted in the early part of 1915 and would have joined the 1/5th Duke of Wellington’s Regiment at Keighley. His number was 6081 and he went overseas with them as indicated on the Army medal roll, although he went after the end of 1915 as he was not issued with the 1914-15 Star. Whilst serving overseas, at some point he was transferred to the 10th Battalion, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. He was serving with them when he was killed in action in September, 1916.
WO-95/1552/1.War diary:
10th Battalion, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. September 1916.
FLERS. 23rd September:
In Trenches. Quiet.
FLERS. 24th September:
In Trenches. A patrol was bombed by enemy and the following casualties were: Captain Gibbons missing. Other ranks, 4 killed 4 wounded, 2 missing.
FLERS. 25th September:
Battalion attacked trenches East of GOUDECOURT under heavy enemy machine gun and artillery fire, wire was still very strong and Battalion was held up.
Casualties: Killed Captain Sayer, Lieutenant Thompson, 2nd Lieutenant Winkworth, Watts, Troughton, Eversfield, Armstrong.
Wounded: 2nd Lieutenants Dixon, Short, Bradshaw, Graham, Rooke, Moseley, Nilen.
Other ranks: 43 killed, 149 wounded, 97 missing.
GOUDECOURT. 26th September:
Enemy in retreat. Battalion advanced and took up an outpost line about 1600 yards from our former lines.
At night relieved then marched to BERNAFAY WOOD.
The record shows that Thomas went missing on 26th September but it may have been during the action the previous day and that he didn’t actually answer the roll call after the events of those two days detailed in the war diary above.
Keighley News November 4, 1916 page 5:
Private Thomas Robinson, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, son of Mr and Mrs R. Robinson, of Wheat Street, Ingrow, was wounded on September 25. Prior to his enlistment in the early part of the year he was employed by S. Laycock and Son, fish and fruit dealers, Market Place, Keighley. A brother is also serving with the forces at one of the home training camps.
After several months of not knowing what had happened to Thomas, the Army made the decision that he had been killed in action and was not missing or held as a prisoner of war somewhere.
Keighley News March 10, 1917 page 3:
Private Thomas Robinson (20), Yorkshire Light Infantry, son of Mr and Mrs R. Robinson, of Wheat Street, Ingrow, who was wounded and reported missing in September last, has now been officially reported as killed. He enlisted in the early part of 1915, and formerly was employed by S. Laycock & Son, fish and fruit dealers, Market Place, Keighley. He was closely identified with the Ingrow Parish Church, and was very well known. A younger brother is at present serving with the forces.
Remembrance:
Thomas went missing on 26th September 1916. He was never found and after a period of time in March 1917, he was described as killed in action on the date he went missing.
He is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial in France with the rest of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry soldiers on Pier and Face 11 C and 12 A.
Locally, Thomas is named on the Ingrow War Memorial and on a framed and glazed war memorial panel inside St. John’s Church, Ingrow.
Surprisingly he is not named on the Ingrow Council School roll of honour.
He is also named in the Borough of Keighley’s Great War roll of honour book at Keighley Library and on the Oakworth Great War Centenary roll of honour, on display at Oakworth Community Hall.
Post war:
Ralph would have been Thomas’s next of kin and received his British War Medal and Victory Medal Bronze war memorial plaque and memorial scroll inscribed with his name. He would also have received his personal effects. These items were all usually issued by the end of 1921.
The soldier’s effects records show that his mother Mary was the sole legatee in his will and she received payments from his Army account. These were a payment of £3 1s 2d on 21st June 1917 and a war gratuity amount of £3 on 3rd October 1919.
Mary also applied for a Dependant’s pension and despite there being four pension cards in the World War I Pension Cards archives, none of them indicate that she received anything from the Army Pensions Office.
In the 1921 census the family were at 25, Wheat Street. Ralph was aged 53 and a School Caretaker, and the Verger at St. John’s Church, Ingrow. His wife Mary Emma was aged 50 and on home duties. The others were: Maggie aged 28 and Minnie aged 26 who were both worsted weavers; Fred was aged 21 and a gardener; Mary was 13 and a Milliner’s assistant. Also living with them was Ralph’s sister Margaret aged 55 and on home duties.
In the 1939 register Ralph was aged 72 and a retired verger. Mary was aged 69 and on home duties. Their daughter Margaret was still living with them and unmarried and was aged 47 and working as a cloth weaver.
Ralph died aged 77 in 1945, his death was registered at Keighley in the first quarter of the year.
Mary died aged 78 in 1949, her death was registered in the Worth Valley in the first quarter of the year. They were living at 25 Wheat Street until their deaths.
Information sources:
1891 England Census.
West Yorkshire, Non-Conformist Records, 1646-1985.
West Yorkshire, England, Electoral Registers, 1840-1962.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915.
1901 England Census.
1911 England Census.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Soldiers died in the Great War.
British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920.
WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920.
Keighley News archives at Keighley Library.
