Robert Ashby
Miner Robert Ashby is the third man on the Ibstock memorial to have lost his life while serving as a tunneller. His profile is that of an older man whose years of work experience warranted his special enlistment on the highest rate of pay. Robert was aged 35, with a wife and three children, at the time he enlisted. He signed his papers in London on 21 June 1915 where the 170th-178th Companies of the Royal Engineers depot office address was 3, Central Buildings, Westminster SW. The front sheet of his “Short Service” attestation, Army From B.2505, is clearly marked “clay kicking tunneller 6/- a day”.
His induction into the Army was swift, he embarked for France just four days later and by 2.8.15 he had joined 178th Coy. from base . They were deployed in Fricourt sector on the Somme, working on tunnelling orignally started by the French. A little over a month later Robert is “slightly gassed” on the 18.9.1915. He returns to duty a few days later and the tunnelling continues.
The 178th Coy. were determined to give the Germans an unholy end of year present but an alert enemy were deploying counter measures of their own. So it was that on 21/12/1915, just a few days before Christmas, the Germans exploded two mines of their own, wrecking a section of trench, 178th shafts and galleries, and killing 17 of its men. This war diary extract is courtesy of Iain McHenry .
The diary notes for 21/12/1915 Lieut PYROR wounded gassed, 17 OR killed in mine explsion, 8 OR wounded gassed.
The full list of those KIA is here. For those men whose records can be found, we can see they include other miners who had passed through the same London base as Robert in June and July, together with men who had transferred in the field.
Those men who were recovered were buried at the Norfolk cemetery, while those who were not are named on the Thiepval memorial. Oddly, two names appear on the Menin Gate. I wonder why?
Pals in life became comrades in death as they are laid side by side I.C.24 to I.C.30, and Robert Ashby I.C. 22 is flanked by an East Surrey man Pte.1329 Harry Osbourne WILKINSON.
For the families of these men, and Roberts wife and children, the joy of Christmas was cut short as news of their loss reached home. Over the coming weeks and months Robert's widow had to deal with the forms and letters of his personal effects, outstanding pay, and widows benefits. The Royal Engineers sent a letter to the NOK of all men buried at Norfolk cemetery. It came from Brompton Barracks, Chatham dated 17th January 1916 and read in Robert's case:
It was the Army's rather stilted way of of saying Robert had been laid to rest with full honours at a known location, something that was denied to countless others.
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