PRIVATE 12768 BERNARD ROBINSON, 9th BATTALION WEST RIDING REGIMENT (ILKLEY PALS COMPANY). DIED OF WOUNDS 27th AUGUST 1918 AGED 29 YEARS.


PRIVATE 12768 BERNARD ROBINSON, 9th BATTALION WEST RIDING REGIMENT (ILKLEY PALS COMPANY). DIED OF WOUNDS 27th AUGUST 1918 AGED 29 YEARS.




Bernard Robinson was the oldest of 10 children born to John and Harriet Robinson of 25, Ash Grove. A builder’s labourer he appears to have moved to Guiseley before the war. In late August 1914 he was amongst the first men from the town to volunteer for war service when he enlisted into the ‘Ilkley Pals Company’ of the 9th Battalion West Riding Regiment. 

It was on 15th August 1915 that Bernard along with the rest of the battalion arrived in France to fight on the Western Front. Although, little is known about his subsequent it is clear that he been involved in all the major battles of the war.

By August 1918 the war had begun to turn in the Allies favour. The German Spring Offensive had been held and there army had suffered a catastrophic defeat at the hands of the British at Amiens at the beginning of the month. Now pulling back towards the positions that they had occupied in the Spring the German Army was beginning to lose some cohesion and its moral deteriorated. Nevertheless it was still resilient and capable and well able to defend itself. As the allies relentlessly pushed against the Germans many costly battles would be fought as the First World War began to draw to its close and many more lives lost.

On 27th August 1918 the 9th Battalion West Riding Regiment was involved in one of these violent battles. The German front line was located on the old Somme battlefield of 1916. Bernard and the rest of his battalion were to attack towards the villages of Martinpuich and Flers, places so familiar to the to the men who had fought there in 1916. At about 2.40am that morning the battalion left its trenches and moved towards the enemy lines. During the morning the attack went well and over 70 German prisoners were taken. However, at 2.10pm the enemy resistance stiffened and the attack ground to a halt. Despite its success the West Ridings had suffered heavy casualties including Bernard who was killed.

Today Private Bernard Robinson lies in the British Military Cemetery at Fienvillers and is remembered with pride on our war memorial in Ilkley.



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