Wilman ROBERTSHAW

32344, Private. b. 1886, Bradford d. Mon. 15th April 1918 (aged 31).

Wilman was conscripted in the summer of 1916 into the West Yorkshire’s so was forced to leave his job at Jonas Sharp & Co. of Low Moor behind him. Wilman’s parents, Jerry and Sally had died before the start of the war. He had married Beatrice in 1909. The couple eventually lived at 20 Cobden Street, Clayton, moving around the village as the family grew larger.

On arriving in France following training in January 1917 he was attached to the 2nd/6th Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment where he spent the first four months of trench experience with this unit. However, in June 1917 he was wounded in action and received a ‘blighty’ when a shell burst in front of his raiding party killing two out of the six outright, maiming another three. Wilman suffered a substantial piece of shrapnel in his right foot. He was fortunate on this occasion though, as he was the only one of his platoon of six to survive this single shell burst relatively unscathed in comparison to the other men.

When he returned to the front line in the winter of 1917 Wilman was sent back to the North Stafford’s whom he served with over that winter. When the Spring Offensive struck however, Wilman like so many other Clayton men, was made a permanent casualty.

After Wilman’s death his wife Beatrice placed requests for information as to her husband’s whereabouts as he had been posted missing in action like so many other men.

The 1911 census shows Wilman and his wife Beatrice and a daughter Laura aged 1, living at Moss Cottage, Bradford Road, Clayton. Laura died in 1914.

Wilmans attestation paper shows a list of Wilmans children and relatives completed by his widow Beatrice in June 1920. This shows his son Ryland Howell Robertshaw born on 15th April 1915 and a daughter Marie Loressa in 1916.

Beatrice was awarded a war widows pension of 25 shillings and 5 pence a week for her and her two children.

The 1939 National Registration shows Marie, living with her mum Beatrice, at 12 Cobden Street in Clayton and working as a dress machinist. Marie married becoming Marie Bagnall. Ryland is shown working as a Pharmacist in Stokesley.

Wilman is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial.