Robert Waldron
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
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Civil records are under the surname Waldron, Waldram and Waldrom. Robert was the son of Thomas and Mary Ann Waldron (née Hand). RN/RM records give his date of birth as 1 April 1880 and also 5 July 1880, but his birth was registered in 1881 (A/M/J) and the baptismal record gave his date of birth as 26 March 1881. His father was born in Stanley, Derbyshire, in about 1856 and his mother was born in Nottinghamshire in 1854 (reg. Bingham). They were married at Shelton St Mary & All Saints in June 1876 and according to the information provided by Thomas on the 1911 Census, he and Mary had had ten children of whom nine were still living. However, only eight children have been traced on the census between 1881 and 1911. At the time of the 1901 Census a grandson, Thomas L Waldrom (sic), was living with the family, and probably still living with them in 1911 - Leonard Waldrom (13) - but described as a son. There is a birth registration (Mansfield) for a Thomas Lionel Waldrom, born 1897. The eight children were: Lucy b.1877 and Eliza Mary b.1879 who were born in Stanley; Robert Henry b.1881, Alice b.1883 and Jane b.1885 who were born in Ilkeston; Charles W. b. 1887, Albert Edward b. 1891 and Hilda Annie birth registered 1895 (J/F/M) who were born in Sutton in Ashfield. Lucy was baptised at Shelton parish church in 1877 but Eliza, Robert, Alice and Jane were baptised at Sutton in Ashfield St Mary Magdalene in March 1887. Charles and Albert were also baptised at the same church. Thomas, a collier, his wife and three children Lucy, Eliza Mary and Robert (under 1 year), were living at Chapel Street, Ilkeston, in 1881. They had moved to Carsic Lane, Sutton in Ashfield, by 1891 but were recorded on the 1901 Census at 34 Prospect Place, Sutton in Ashfield: Thomas, a colliery contractor underground, Mary Ann and their children Eliza, Alice and Jane who all worked at a glue factory, Robert and Charles who both worked at a colliery, Robert as a hewer and Charles as a pony driver, and the two youngest children, Albert and Hilda, who were school age. Also in the household was a grandchild, Thomas L Waldrom (3). The eldest daughter, Lucy, was working as a domestic nurse with a family in Nottingham. Mary Ann died in 1910. In 1911 her widowed husband was living at Osman Place, High Pavement, Sutton in Ashfield, with his eldest daughter Eliza (no occupation), Robert, Charles and Leonard who were all coal miners and Hilda whose occupation was given as 'at home.' Lucy had married Frank Kirk in 1904 and they and their two sons were living in Bulwell, Nottingham. Alice married Arthur Wilkes in 1906 and they and Alice's sister Jane, a dressmaker, were living toegther at Prospect Place, Sutton in Ashfield. Robert was still living with his father at Osman Place when he enlisted in 1914. Thomas Waldron died in 1936.
Served as Waldron. RN/RM records give his date of birth as 1 April 1880 and also 5 July 1880 but his birth was registered in 1881 and the baptismal record gives his date of birth as 26 March 1881. Robert enlisted initially in the Sherwood Foresters on 5 September 1915 but then on 16 September 1914 was transferred to the RMLI. (See information below). He served with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force from 6 February 1915 and was killed in action at Gallipoli on 5 May the same year. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Turkey (Panel 2 to 7). Note: one RN record noted his date of death, 5 May 1915, 'at sea.' 'Waldron was one of 'Kitchener's Marines' who were transferred from the Sherwood Foresters to the RMLI. Des Turner notes '600 RMLI transfers came from two regiments - 200 from the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) and 400 from the Sherwood Foresters. They were predominantly ex-miners and labourers, fit men wanted for their ability to dig trenches and tunnels. The 200 KOYLI recruits were transferred to Plymouth Division RMLI and were given service numbers PLY/1(S) to PLY200(S). This was also the case for the Sherwood Foresters 200 who were dispatched to Portsmouth where already 30 men were recruited and so they became PO/31(S) to PO/230(S). 200 remaining Foresters went to Chatham and were numbered CH/1 to CH/200(S).'' CWGC - History of the Helles Memorial (extract): 'The eight month campaign in Gallipoli was fought by Commonwealth and French forces in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war, to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front in France and Belgium, and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea. The Allies landed on the peninsula on 25-26 April 1915; the 29th Division at Cape Helles in the south and the Australian and New Zealand Corps north of Gaba Tepe on the west coast, an area soon known as Anzac. On 6 August, further landings were made at Suvla, just north of Anzac, and the climax of the campaign came in early August when simultaneous assaults were launched on all three fronts. However, the difficult terrain and stiff Turkish resistance soon led to the stalemate of trench warfare. From the end of August, no further serious action was fought and the lines remained unchanged. The peninsula was successfully evacuated in December and early January 1916.' (www.cwgc.org)
Mansfield Reporter, 4 June 1915: ‘Suttonians Killed in the Dardanelles. We regret to announce the death of several Suttonians in the Dardanelles’ fighting. They are as follows: Private Thos Goodall, 25 Fairfield-road. Private William Hy Potter, Mason-street. Private Robert Waldron, High Pavement. Lance-Corpl. WH Johnson, who was connected with the Skegby Cricket Club. All the men were in the Royal Marine Light Infantry.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
