| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
Lance-Corporal Richard Spivey of the 2/5th Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment was seriously wounded in action at Passchendaele on 27 Oct 1917. He was removed by the 2nd Northumbrian Field Ambulance to a casualty clearing station and then to hospital in the UK. His injuries are referred to in his records but are illegible. On recovery by the end of Nov 1917 he was transferred to the 4th (Reserve) Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment. As a result of being absent without leave in mid Febr 1918 he was reduced to the rank of private. On 16 Jan 1919 under Regulation 392 he was deemed “surplus to army requirements” and allowed to return to his skilled job at the Beverley shipyard. He enlisted in the TA in Jan 1915 but only joined the regular army in Nov 1916. He arrived in France on 8 Jan 1917 and probably saw action at Arras in the spring battles. He was awarded the War and Victory Medals.
Richard was born in Beverley the 22 May 1896 and baptised the 6 Jun 1896 at Beverley Minster, ths son of Joseph Spivey, a hawker and labourer and Lydia Blake, from Salisbury, they married in 1884. Siblings Thomas was born 1887, Joseph born 1889 and Fred born 1894. The family lived in Taylor’s Row, Flemingate. Richard worked at the Grovehill shipyard, and was described in the 1911 census as a “shipyard worker” but more specifically in his army records as a “rivet heater”.
In 1919 Richard returned to the shipyard and was still working there in 1939 as a “ship plater’s helper” He was living at 3 Schofield Avenue, Beverley. Also there was widowed Ann E Garrety and her son. They were still living there in the early 1950s. Richard died in 1975 and was buried at Queensgate Cemetery on 3 Apr 1975.
Includes information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |