Pte Robert Evans Timms died 22/5/16

[Will O'Brien]

The usual CWGC Infomation

Name: TIMMS, ROBERT EVANS

Initials: R E

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment: West Yorkshire Regt. (Prince of Wales's Own)

Unit Text: 15th Bn.

Age: 21

Date of Death: 22/05/1916

Service No: 15/899

Additional information: Son of Robert Ernest Timms, of 7, Sholebroke View, Chapeltown Rd., Leeds.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: I. J. 95.

Cemetery: SUCRERIE MILITARY CEMETERY, COLINCAMPS

[Will O'Brien]

CWGC details of Sucrerie Military Cemetery

Cemetery: SUCRERIE MILITARY CEMETERY, COLINCAMPS

Country: France

Locality: Somme

Visiting Information: Wheelchair Access with some difficulty. For further information regarding wheelchair access, please contact our Enquiries Section on 01628 507200

Location Information: Colincamps is a village about 16 kilometres north of Albert. Sucrerie Military Cemetery is about 3 kilometres south-east of the village on the north side of the road from Mailly-Maillet to Puisieux.

Historical Information: The cemetery was begun by French troops in the early summer of 1915, and extended to the West by British units from July in that year until, with intervals, December, 1918. It was called at first the 10th Brigade Cemetery. Until the German retreat in March, 1917, it was rather more than a 1.6 kilometres from the front line; and from the end of March, 1918, (when the New Zealand Division was engaged in fighting at the Sucrerie) to the following August it was under fire. The 285 French and twelve German graves were removed to other cemeteries after the Armistice, and in consequence there are gaps in the lettering of the Rows. There are now 1104, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these 219 casualties are unidentified. The cemetery covers an area is 6,322 square metres and it is enclosed by a low brick wall.

No. of Identified Casualties: 885

[Will O'Brien]

Robert Evans Timms was born in the June quarter of 1895 in Leeds. By March 1901, the five year old Robert was living at his Grandmothers home of 66 Bankes Road, Aston, Birmingham.

His Grandmother Letitia Evans was listed as the head of the household (we now know where Robert got his middle name from).

Also living at 66 Bankes Road were his aunt Frances Evans (his mother's younger unmarried sister who was a Secretary at an Orthopedic Hospital), his mother herself Rose Timms & his elder brother Roland. No mention of his father at all.....................Perhaps his parents were no longer together (note his mother is not mentioned in the NOK info listed with the CWGC) or that his father was by necessity away & as such his wife & children needed to live with his mother-in-law (possible he was serving in South Africa at the time with the army as the Boer War was still ongoing)