ROBERT HALL 

Robert's Story.

Robert was born in Whitchurch in 1894, the eldest son of Mary Ann Hall of 8^b St John’s Street Whitchurch. Robert had three sisters, Sarah, Edith, Olive, and one brother, Harry. The 1911 Census records Robert living in Mill Moor, Macefen, Malpas, Cheshire, and working as a milk runner on a farm.

Robert enlisted at Ellesmere Port on the 4^th September 1914, occupation shown as a farm labourer. After basic training in Basingstoke and Salisbury Plain, he landed in France with the battalion on the 19^th July 1915.

9^th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment War Diary, July 1916 

5^th July 1916

Tara-Usna line           

Reorganisation of Coys and refitting generally

 6^th July 1916

The Battalion moved to slope of hill near BECOURT WOOD just south of the Tara-Usna line. The Battalion was reorganised in two platoons per company, and most of the deficiencies made up. At 4.30 the Germans dropped two shells among the bivouacs, wounding three men, and the battalion resumed their positions in the trenches.     

 7^th July 1916

At 10.00am orders were received to move forward to HELIGOLAND At 10.40am the Battalion moved down the line collecting carrying parties on the way, guides sent to show the Battalion the way lost direction, the enemy were shelling the communication trenches heavily. Arrived HELIGOLAND at 3pm, at about 10.15pm O.C. 9^th RWF sent an urgent call for troops to supply his right flank along the line Capt. Symonds and A Coy were immediately dispatched. At 11pm O.C. RWF and O.C. 6^th Wilts telephoned that they were losing men heavily from M.G. fire to request Artillery support.


Researched by Terry Evanson