Category: Military
Rank: Deck Hand 17210 D.A. (Po)
Regiment or Ship: Royal Naval Reserve HM Minesweeping Trawler Balfour
Service Number(s): 17210 D.A. (Po)
Date of Birth: 01.08.1899
Place of Birth: West Wickham, Kent.
Date of Death: 28.11.1917
Place of Death: Off Newhaven - explosion.
Place of Burial / Memorials:
1.   Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
2.   Town Memorial, Bexhill.
3.   St. Stephen’s Church Memorial, Bexhill.
Address: 53, Cornwall Road, Bexhill
Photos and newspaper articles
Click on any image to see a larger version
Family Information
Information taken from the 1891/1901/1911 Census’ and the Birth and Marriage Records.
Parents:
Albert b. 1859 in Bishops Stortford and d. 1943 Bexhill.   Martha Alice (nee PREST) b. 1860 in Eat Ruston, Norfolk and d. 1935 Bexhill.
Siblings:
Albert b. 1882
William b. 1883
Margaret b. 1885
Frank b. 1887, d. 1917
Edith b. 1888
Agnes b. 1890
Ernest b. 1891, d. 1916
Edward b. 1893
Ethel b. 1896
All the above were born in Clapham.
Mabel b. 1901
Arthur b. 1905, d. 1979
Mabel and Arthur were born in West Wickham – as was Robert.
First World War Experience
Robert served in the Royal Naval Reserve – the Dover Patrol – on the H.M. mine-sweeping Trawler, ‘Balfour’ which was eventually lost on 13.05.1918.
Additional Information
On the marriage certificate and census’ of 1891/1901/1911 father was described as a Domestic Coachman. By the time of Robert’s death two of his brothers had also died in WW1 (Chronicle 1917). Ernest 15.9.1916 and Frank 15.08.1917.