Robert Hugh Blatherwick
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- Military History
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Robert Hugh Blatherwick was born in 1894 and was baptised on 25th October 1908 at St Mary's Church Radcliffe he was the son of George Harry Blatherwick an architect and surveyor and Mary Ellen Blatherwick née Doncaster of 'Ye Nook', Cropwell Road, Radcliffe-on-Trent.George Harry was born in 1866 at Nottingham, Mary Ellen Doncaster was born in 1863 at Hanley, Staffordshire, they were married in 1889 at Nottingham and had 4 children.In 1911 his family are living at Cropwell Road, Radcliffe on Trent, George Harry (senior) is 45 yrs and is an architect and surveyor he is living with his wife Mary Ellen 48 yrs and three of their children, Annie May 20 yrs, a home help, Robert Hugh 16 yrs a pupil in his fathers office and Mary 10 yrs a scholar.
Second Lieutenant Robert Hugh Blatherwick was commissioned as Second Lieutenant on 6th August 1915 in the 4th (Reserves) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment he landed in France on 21st May 1916 and served with the 10th Battalion The Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) he was killed in action on 1st July 1916 near Fricourt village, 5km east of Albert, on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. He is buried in Fricourt New Military Cemetery, Somme, France.He qualified for the British War Medal and Victory Medal.CWGC - History of Fricourt New Military Cemetery (extract): 'On 30 June 1916, Fricourt village was just within the German front line. It was attacked on 1 July by the 17th Division, and by the end of the day it was caught between that division to the west, the 21st to the north and the 7th to the south. the village was occupied by the 17th Division the following day. From 25 March 1918 to the following 26 August, Fricourt was again in German hands. Two cemeteries were made by the 17th Division, and most of the dead buried in them belonged to that division. Fricourt New Military Cemetery is in fact four big graves, made by the 10th West Yorkshire Regiment after the capture of Fricourt in July 1916, and a few single graves of September 1916.' (www.cwgc.org)
His brother Private George Harry Blatherwick enlisted on 20th December 1914 at Trentham, New Zealand, he was a porter. Posted to the Canterbury Regiment, New Zealand Army he embarked from Wellington on 13th February 1915 from Wellington. He landed in Egypt on 27th March 1915. He saw services in the Dardenelles, Gallipoli where he was reported wounded and missing in action on 8th May 1915 later confirmed killed in action on this date. Having no known grave his name is commemorated on the Twelve Tree Copse (New Zealand) Memorial
