SKELTON - IN - CLEVELAND
IN HISTORY

"WE WILL REMEMBER THEM"
28415 Private ROBERT HENRY HUSBAND.

7th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment.

Formerly 31083 Cavalry Regiment.

Killed in action, aged about 21, on the 24th April 1917.

Born and enlisted at Skelton in Cleveland.

Son of John and Mary J Husband of 21 Harker St, Skelton Green, N Yorks.


The Arras Memorial.

Henry Husband.

FAMILY:-
1901. Robert Henry, aged 4, is living at 21/23 Harker St, Skelton Green and had been born in Skelton.
His father, John W, aged 38, is and Ironstone Miner below ground and also born in Skelton.
His mother, Mary J, aged 42, had been born in Cornwall. She has had 10 children by 1911 and only 6 are still living.
It is likely Mary had been married previously as two older girls Edith Brown, aged 17, a Dressmaker and Jeanette Brown, aged 15, live with them.
They had three other children - Mary 9, John William 7 and Ronald 2, all with surname Husband and all born in Skelton.

1911. The family are still living at Harker St, Skelton Green and say the house has 3 Rooms.
John, the Father, is now running a Coal Leading business.
Robert Henry [listed as Henry] is assisting in the business and John William is a Coachman.
The family have a Grand daughter Alma Bowden, age 6, living with them.

ATTESTATION
Robert's attestation form below shows that he enlisted on the 10th December 1915 at the age of 19 yrs and 8 months.
By this time he was working in the Ironstone Mines. The attestation officer at Skelton was Thomas Varty, J.P, the Manager of Park Pit.
He stood 5f 7ins with a 36 in Chest.
He was initially placed in a Cavalry unit in the UK, but transferred to the East Yorks Regiment in September 1916.
WAR SITUATION:-
The 7th East Yorks Battalion were part of the 17th [Northern] Division.
Robert's Medal Card shows that he was not awarded the 1914/15 Star. He joined the 7th East Yorks in September 1916.
In the latter part of 1916 the Division was involved in the final operations in the Battle of the Somme.
At the time of Roberts death the 17th Division took part in the offensive to the East of Arras which had started on the 9th April and continued in a series of Battles into May.
The British attacked East of Arras from April 9th to May 16th against the formidable Hindenberg Line, to which the Germans had made a strategic withdrawal earlier in the year.
This operation was part of a larger plan by the French General Nivelle who attacked further South on the Aisne at the same time, with tragic results for the French Infantry, who afterwards staged a partial mutiny.

A great many men were killed and wounded in the British advance, more on average per day than on the Somme.
General Haig wrote later that Arras was purely a diversion, as his main objective was to advance at Ypres in the offensive that he would launch in July.
MEMORIAL:-
Robert Husband is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, which bears the names of 35,000 men who lost their lives in the War between Spring 1916 and August 1918 and have no known grave. His worldly possessions were returned to his family - 2 discs, letters, cards and photos.




Medal Card.

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