| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
Robson Hawkins Harrison was born 1878 in Wetwang, one of nine children born to John and Mary Harrison, John was a farmer. In 1881 the family lived in Huggate, and, at the age of six he attended Huggate School, having previously been privately educated. In 1903 he married Mary Lambert Jones, known as Cissie, daughter of Samuel Jones of Beverley giving his occupation as a Groom. Their son, Stanley was born in Beverley in 1906, and daughter, Dorothy Alice, born in Bridlington in 1911, after which they returned to Beverley, where Robson was employed as a rullyman by Mr T G Straker of Walkergate, before 'joining the Colours'.
Robson was 36 years old in 1914 but his medal card shows that he embarked for France on 25 Aug 1915 as a Driver in the Army Service Corps. A letter he wrote to his father-in-law in Sep 1915, and which was published in The Beverley Recorder, gives an insight into his life in France :-
" My work is to lead corn and hay for the headquarters division ammunition column. We do not go up to the firing line, but a lot of ours go up to the trenches; but I am near enough to the big siege guns where I am. The firing is dreadful. You cannot sleep at night for it, and all day long as well. All that I have to fear is stray shells and airships. It is raining heavy, and they are firing heavy too. It is getting cold at nights but hot in the day time. It is grand sport to watch the German airships coming over our lines, and ours chasing them, and the anti-air guns at them as well. You would not think that there was a war on to see the farmers working the land. …"
Robson survived the conflict, and for his service was awarded the British War and Victory Medals. He returned home to Beverley, where he was employed as a gardener in 1939, and served as an ARP Warden during the Second World War. He died in Beverley in 1954 at the age of 75.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |