Robert Head (1890-1914)

Post date: May 18, 2015 5:13:29 PM

Robert Arthur Head, 24 years old, was born in Wateringbury in 1890/91, educated at Wateringbury School (where in 1901 he was in Standard III winning, along with 2 other boys in his Standard a school prize) and lived at what is now Waterside Mews. Although he died in October 1914 the news of his death did not reach his parents until late January 1915.

Robert was enlisted into the 13th Hussars (subsequently transferred to the 11th) on 14th February 1911 in Maidstone, aged 20 years and 10 months, 5 foot 6 ¹/4 inches, weighing 137 lbs with a chest measurement (fully expanded) of 37 ¹/2 inches, perfect vision but an old injury to his left elbow. His trade was described as a groom. He served in Dublin, Shorncliffe and Aldershot before taking voluntary discharge on a payment of £18 in February 1913. This payment generated some subsequent correspondence when he rejoined, this time into the 6th Dragoon Guards (but declaring his previous service, in November 1913 with a reference given by Mr. Brooks showing he was still single and had been employed by Mr Vallance at the Telegraph Inn, Wateringbury, very close to his home. Vallance also gave a reference saying that he had employed him as a coachman at the Telegraph Inn but his services were no longer required.

Robert was a Lance Corporal in the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) which had been dispatched to France immediately following Britain’s declaration of war. The BEF was small compared to the other countries’ armies, but it represented a substantial portion of the British Army. It was well trained and equipped but, because of its small size, the German Kaiser referred to it as “contemptible” and the soldiers adopted the nickname “Old Contemptibles” as a badge of pride.

Robert was in the 6th Dragoon Guards cavalry regiment originally formed in the 17th century. The cavalry in the BEF was regarded by the French as a strong part of our contribution. After the Boer War, which ended in 1902, there had been pressure to disband the cavalry but instead doctrine changed to emphasise the use of dismounted firepower (sometimes with the horse being made to lay down), with all cavalry men carrying rifles, entrenching tools as well as swords. Robert was on foot when he was killed.

Robert was involved at Messines in what Sir Max Hastings in his book “Catastrophe” regards as “one of the bloodiest and ….most dangerous [days] of the [Ypres] battle”. Messines as a village 6 miles to the south of Ypres. Although the report below speaks of trenches, our typical image of WW1, in fact at Messines a lot of the fighting was house to house in the village. It implies Robert was not killed by artillery, the most common cause of death in WW1; at the first battle of Ypres shells were in shortage on both sides. After this first battle of Ypres, trench warfare became the norm and the war on the Western Front became static.

A friend, writing to his parents, said: Robert "volunteered to leave the trench to try and find out if the Regiment were still in their position on the left of our trench. …. He had not gone twenty yards when a horde of Germans came up, hundreds in number…I am so sorry that poor ' Bob' went, but he deserved the V.C. for the gallant duty which he performed."

Robert did not get a V.C. but he is recognised on the Menin Gate at Ypres and on both the school and church war memorials. Robert died on 31st October 1914. His service number was 8514.

His mother, Bertha who had remarried following his father's death and was now called Crayford and living in Bow Road, had to sign in 1919 a declaration of living relatives which shows that Robert had not married: two brothers were in Swanscombe and Dartford and two sisters in Teston and Marden.