| |
Captain (Adjutant) Charles Harold Robin
2nd (or East) Battalion, Royal Militia
of the Island of Jersey (attd. 13th Battalion York and
Lancaster Regiment)
11/05/1917
Son of C. Janvrin Robin and Etta Robin, of Steephill,
Jersey; husband of Yvonne Lempriere Robin, of Seymour
House, Gorey, Jersey.
Killed in action on the 11th of May 1917 aged 31 years.
Memorial in St Saviour's Church, Jersey
This shows 14th Battalion but records
indicate 13th Battalion
|
2nd Battalion Royal Jersey Militia attd
13th Battalion (1st Barnsley Pals) York and Lancaster Regiment
He was born on the 17th of May 1886 the eldest son of the late Charles
Janvrin Robin and Henrietta Robin of Steephill Jersey
On the 17th of September
1913 he married Yvonne nee Lempriere the eldest daughter of Reginald Raoul Lempriere,
Viscount of Jersey at Rozel Manor Chapel in Jersey, afterwards living at Seymour
House, Gorey, Jersey, where they had a son, Charles who was born on the 6th of
September 1914.
He was educated at Hazelwood and Charterhouse Schools and
at University College Oxford.
He joined the Jersey Militia in 1907 and was
gazetted into the Royal Fusiliers the following year but was forced to resign
his commission due to ill health in 1910. On the outbreak of war he rejoined the
Jersey Militia and in 1915 was attached to the York and Lancaster Regiment, serving
in Egypt and then France.
On the night of the 4th/5th of May 1917 the 13th
Battalion of the York and Lancasters moved into support trenches near Gavrelle
Windmill. They immediately set to work digging a communication trench up to Windmill
Spur which overlooked the German lines to the north east of Oppy. The Germans
were intent on making it difficult for them and all day their trenched were "drenched
with German high explosives and machine gun fire" For three days the
shelling continued unabated and losses began to mount. It was almost impossible
to move wounded out or get supplies in. the newly dug trenches offered little
protection as they were unsupported by British artillery and "consisted
of little more than a chain of shell holes connected by hastily scratched trenches".
They were not relieved until the 21st of May.
Charles Robin was killed during
this period and is buried at Albuera Cemetery, Bailleul-Sire-Berthoult South Row
C Grave 5
A brother officer wrote of him:-"He was always ready to go
anywhere and do anything, utterly unselfish and continually helping others in
any way he could." Another wrote "I had the greatest admiration for
the way he carried out his work without any idea of sparing himself."
His
brother Captain Guy Janvrin, Royal Jersey Artillery (Militia) married Dorothy
(nee Hargreaves) on the 8th of April 1915 at St Peter's Church Jersey, and would
be assigned to the Jersey Military District’s Staff for the latter half of
the Great War.
“With thanks to Surrey WFA
member John Hamblin for very kindly providing the above photograph and the insight
into Captain Robin’s service”
More
