Cpl
Robert Joseph Hulme
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 10/12/1894 |
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Place of birth: Islington, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: 26, Woodside Street, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
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Profession: window cleaner |
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Religion: Church of England |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Corporal |
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Service number: PLY/S350S |
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Enlistment date: 22/09/1914 |
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Enlistment place: Liverpool, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Royal Marine Light Infantry, 1st R.M. Bn. R.N. Div. (Last known unit) — Royal Marine Light Infantry, 2nd R.M. Bn. R.N. Div. |
Information about death
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Date of death: 31/10/1917 |
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Place of death: 46th Casualty Clearing Station, Proven, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Died of wounds (D.O.W.) |
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Age: 22 |
Cemetery
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Mendinghem Military Cemetery Plot: VI Row: A Grave: 43 |
Distinctions and medals 3
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British War Medal Medal |
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Military Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of wounding | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Robert Joseph Hulme was the son of Robert Hulme and Martha Dutton. His mother later remarried Albert Moutton. Robert was born on 10 December 1894 in the British town of Islington, Liverpool. In 1911, he worked as a window washer; later he would also have worked as a carter. On 22 September 1914, at the age of 19, he enlisted in the British army. After serving with other battalions of the Royal Navy Division, which became the 63rd Division in July 1916, he was part of the 1st Battalion Royal Marine Light Infantry from July 1917. He climbed to corporal in rank.
Robert died on 31 October 1917 from wounds sustained on 26 October, during the Second Battle of Passchendaele, part of the Battle of Passchendaele. On 26 October, the starting line of attack for the 1st Battalion Royal Marine Light Infantry ran from Lekkerboterbeek near Oxford House on the left to Wallemolen on the right. During this attack, the battalion, with a strength of 16 officers and 597 other ranks, had to advance on the left mainly along the Lekkerboterbeek. On the right, they had to take the area south of Inch Farm to the vicinity of Bray Farm and Banff House.
At 5.40am the barrage starts and the attack begins under difficult conditions. Heavy rain that fell during the night of 25-26 October created wet, muddy ground and water-filled shellholes. The area was difficult to traverse. The battalion managed to take all objectives, including Berks House, Banff House and Bray Farm. For this, however, they paid a high price: the presence of snipers and machine guns caused the casualty count to soar during the day. Among those casualties was almost 23-year-old Robert Joseph Hulme. He was wounded and transferred to the 46th Casualty Clearing Station at Proven, which had opened in October 1916 at a new site called Mendinghem. He died of his wounds there on 31 October and was buried in Mendinghem Military Cemetery (plot VI, row A, grave 43).
Robert died on 31 October 1917 from wounds sustained on 26 October, during the Second Battle of Passchendaele, part of the Battle of Passchendaele. On 26 October, the starting line of attack for the 1st Battalion Royal Marine Light Infantry ran from Lekkerboterbeek near Oxford House on the left to Wallemolen on the right. During this attack, the battalion, with a strength of 16 officers and 597 other ranks, had to advance on the left mainly along the Lekkerboterbeek. On the right, they had to take the area south of Inch Farm to the vicinity of Bray Farm and Banff House.
At 5.40am the barrage starts and the attack begins under difficult conditions. Heavy rain that fell during the night of 25-26 October created wet, muddy ground and water-filled shellholes. The area was difficult to traverse. The battalion managed to take all objectives, including Berks House, Banff House and Bray Farm. For this, however, they paid a high price: the presence of snipers and machine guns caused the casualty count to soar during the day. Among those casualties was almost 23-year-old Robert Joseph Hulme. He was wounded and transferred to the 46th Casualty Clearing Station at Proven, which had opened in October 1916 at a new site called Mendinghem. He died of his wounds there on 31 October and was buried in Mendinghem Military Cemetery (plot VI, row A, grave 43).
Sources 8
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1 Battalion Royal Marines Light Infantry (RND), (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/3110/1). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Admiralty Register of Service (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), ADM-159-175-350). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Army&NavyDeathRecord (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), ADM-242). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Blumberg H.E., Britain's Sea Soldiers, A Record of the Royal Marines during the War 1914-1919, (Uckfield,The Naval & Military Press, unit 10 Ridgewood Industrial Park. 2006), 312-313, 332-337. Sources used |
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British Army World War I Service Medal and Awards Rolls, 1914-1920 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 329). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG13). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG14). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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McCarthy Chris, Passchendaele: The Day-By-Day Account (Londen, Arms & Armour, 2018), 146-147. Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/437826 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=09a424be-affd-4ea2-a02a-39e709fa2298 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/6956015 |