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Topic: Robert William STEAD (1896 West Derby -1926 Gateacre) (Read 1692 times)
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liverpool annie
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Posts: 13046
Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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Robert William STEAD (1896 West Derby -1926 Gateacre)
First of all here is the the summary of Robert William Stead
Robert William Stead was born March 22nd 1896 in West Derby Liverpool - the son of William Harley ( Master Mariner ) and Emily ( nee Richards ) Stead and lived at Watford Road Anfield Liverpool
Robert's sister Nora May Stead married George Galloway Dobell at St Andrew West Kirby in 1926 ...
His mother's sister Alice Richards married Miller Crease - who was a music seller in 1901 census ( The Dobell and Crease families are very much a part of his family tree - as well as the families - Richards Keay Butterworth)
Robert William Stead was 17 years and 5 months old when he attested to join the army for 4 years in Liverpool on 25 August 1913 He gave his address as Watford Road Anfield Liverpool the home of his father William Harley Stead who he gave as next of kin and later identified as a Master Mariner Robert who was a single man, identified his birthplace as Liverpool Lancashire - his current occupation as a bank clerk at Parr's Bank Liverpool and his religion as Church of England.
He returned the next day, for a medical examination. This revealed that he stood 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighed 10st 9lbs and had a chest measurement of 35 inches.
He was accepted into 6th Rifle battalion of the Kings Liverpool Regiment
Once in the Army - Robert William Stead became a number – 1466 to begin with - he faced a couple of months worth of drill square bashing and weapons training - in order to turn him from a bank clerk to soldier ....... Private Stead 's unit first entered the theatre of war in France in February 1915 and he was promoted to L/Cpl 28th August 1915
Yet Robert given his intelligence - was not the sort of man to remain an infantry soldier for long - in fact he was the perfect sort of person to become a member of the newly created Machine Gun Corps.
Robert William Stead # 22397 attested 20th February 1916 with 165 Brigade MGC and was promoted A/Cpl 29th March 1916 - he was sent to the Machine Gun training centre at Grantham back in England - here he familiarised himself with the workings and complexities of the Vickers .303 and heavy machine guns
He became a team player – each gun was ideally manned by a crew of eight - four men were involved in the actual firing and the other four responsible for sighting and the preparation and the bringing up of ammunition - crews in the field normally numbered six - simply because of the shortage of men.
The course only lasted approximately 6 weeks due to the intense demand for gunners. Thus Robert really only had basic training in the complexities of machine-gun warfare.
( The targets of every enemy weapon - members of the MGC were also called the Suicide Squad ) He rose through the ranks and was promoted to Second Lieutentant
Robert was wounded in the chest and thigh in August 1916 while in Abbeville and was released from the Army 20th March 1919
Coming home after the war he married Elizabeth Neil Grant in 1921 at St Simon and St Judes Church Liverpool and they moved to Gateacre .... tragically they were only married 5 years as Robert William Stead died in 1926 in Gateacre
The Quest
It all started when I got this email from France from my Friend Michel ( who I had done research with on another Forum - he only asked me because my name was Liverpool Annie !!  )
25 years ago, when I was General Secretary of the town hall of LA COUTURE, a village between ARMENTIERES and BETHUNE, just on the western front, I found, among old coins and a button of british trench coat, a piece of metal engraved in english.
Since that day, I search in the british cemeteries of my sector the grave of the man (there are many of them near my home)
In fact, with help of members of the forum and of a new friend from minnesota one day I see I mistaked, the man survived the conflict an go back alive at home inAnfield Liverpool
The memory of this men, that I do not know haunt my spirit, my best wish is to restore the wrist tag to his descent, if it exist, that is very very important for me.
Of course, no money in this history, just to be in peace with my soul, this medal is not mine, it must go back in his real place
A picture of the tag is on the first page of the original thread
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 rwstead.jpg (21.6 KB, 400x300 - viewed 688 times.)
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« Last Edit: Monday 15 October 07 06:35 BST (UK) by krisesjoint »
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Cooper : Muels : Howarth : Every : Price : King http://www.freewebs.com/liverpoolannie/Be who you are and say what you feel - because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind ! Dr. Seuss Erect no gravestone .... let the Rose every year bloom for his sake ! Rilke Sonnets to Orpheus, I:5 Our fathers did not talk about psychology - they talked about a knowledge of Human Nature. But they had it, and we have not. They knew by instinct all that we have i |
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liverpool annie
RootsChat Marquessate
Offline
Posts: 13046
Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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CEMETERIES
This from gateacre -
two graveyards of St. Helen's church in Sefton and St. Luke's churchyard in Crosby where the indexes were searched by the librarian at Crosby library. NOT THERE
Roman Catholic cemetery at Ford or Ince Blundall NOT THERE
Dawns Cemetery Summary:
EVERTON CEMETERY, Higher Lane, Fazakerley NOT THERE
ST JAMES'S CEMETERY, Upper Duke Street
ST MARY'S CEMETERY, Walton rd, Kirkdale (Opened 1837, closed for Interments)
LIVERPOOL CEMETERY, Anfield Park NOT THERE
WALTON CEMETERY, (Parish of Liverpool), Rawcliffe road, Rice Lane, Walton
CEMETERY, Smithdown Road, Toxteth Park NOT THERE
LIVERPOOL CATHOLIC CEMETERY AND CONVENT OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD, Ford NOT THERE
JEWS' BURYING GROUND, Deane Road, Kensington and Green Lane, Stoneycroft
KIRKDALE CEMETERY, Longmoor Lane, Walton NOT THERE
WEST DERBY CEMETERY, Lower House lane, West Derby NOT THERE
BIRKENHEAD CEMETERY, Flaybrick Hill, Tollemache Road, Birkenhead
LIVERPOOL CREMATORIUM Anfield NOT THERE
YEW TREE (CATHOLIC) NOT THERE
BOOTLE CEMETERY (SEFTON COUNCIL)
n.b. Charge £22 for a look-up! if nothing else turns up I may turn innocent of that fact and phone them to see if he's there (unless someone else volunteers). They do have a war graves section, don't know if Robert is eligible though . Up date by Dawn 15 Oct - NOT THERE
This from Liverpool Annie
http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/Merseysidegraveyards.html
I went through every single one of them NOT THERE
Note: Also need to list who is being looked for .... Just Robert ? Or any of them ?
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Cooper : Muels : Howarth : Every : Price : King http://www.freewebs.com/liverpoolannie/Be who you are and say what you feel - because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind ! Dr. Seuss Erect no gravestone .... let the Rose every year bloom for his sake ! Rilke Sonnets to Orpheus, I:5 Our fathers did not talk about psychology - they talked about a knowledge of Human Nature. But they had it, and we have not. They knew by instinct all that we have i |
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