Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.

Detail :

Enlisted at West Hartlepool and attested for military service on 10th May 1915. He had previously served 5 years with the Tynemouth Volunteers. He became 19/1005 in the 19th (Service) Battalion, Durham Light Infantry. He was promoted 5 days after attestation to Sergeant and posted to the Depot of the 19th. He was embarked with unit to France on 31.1.1916 and "Died of Wounds in France 17.7.1916"

Book: Durham Pals: 18th, 19th, and 22nd (Service) Battalions of the Durham Light ... "Three days were spent in these reserve trenches where there was very heavy shelling and 19/Durham LI suffered half-a-dozen casualties from this enemy fire. Most of who died from shrapnel wounds. Among the dead was 19/1005 Sergeant Robert Yule, a resident of Hawthorn Terrace, Durham City, he was the battalion bandmaster and also in charge of the battalion stretcher-bearers. Some short time after the Sergeant's death, Mrs Yule received a long letter from the Battalion Medical Officer, Doctor Barss, who wrote,

"I have been thinking of you and the children ever since he passed away and I am taking the chance of writing you a few words of sympathy, because the sergeant was one of my best friends. He was not only my best stretcher-bearer, but he was also a personal friend of mine. I thought an awful lot of him and he was one of the favourite sergeants of the battalion. As soon as we came out to France I got him to stay along with me and my medical Corporal. We slept together in the open many a night and we have had many a meal together. He was a thoroughly brave man and I never once saw him show the least sign of fear, even under the most-heavy shelling. We used to go into the trenches together, to attend to any who were sick and I used to marvel at his fearlessness. I am so sorry that he is gone, first because of your sake and the children, and also because I have lost a true friend.

Many a night we have sat in front of a little fire and filled our pipes. Then he would tell me of his wife, his girls and his home. He used often to tell me what a fine Bible student you were and he was very much interested in the girls and their schoolwork. He tried his best to buy one of them a French Testament. The various parcels you sent him from home used to be a great comfort to him and he never failed to share them with me and the other boys. it will comfort you, I am sure, to know just how he passed away. We were getting ready to lie down. the sergeant was filling his pipe, outside my lean -to at about 9.30 p.m. when suddenly thousands upon thousands of shells began to fly overhead. They came so swiftly it was impossible to count them. Suddenly, I heard an explosion, followed by some groans. Corporal Scurr and I rushed out and found someone lying there wounded. It was to dark to recognise who it was, but we got hold of him and started to lift him along out of danger. Then I got an awful mouthful of poisonous gas and we both of us fell over. We got on our gas helmets and finally got him to a place where I could dress his wounds. It was them I recognised the sergeant and it took the good right out of me. I got him bandaged up, but his strength was failing fast because of internal hemorrhage. He said, "Where is the Doctor?", "I am here, I said. "Oh Doctor," he added "I am done." Then as he thought of you and his girls he kept repeating, "God bless them all." Afterwards he said, " Oh I feel much easier." These were the last words I heard him speak. I placed him on a transport wagon and told the driver to get him to an ambulance at once, but he died... "


A note in his service records shows that he had been laid in a "scattered grave" and an order had been received by 19th August 1920, that Sergeant Yule was to be exhumed and removed to the Peronne Road Cemetery, located 7 1/2 miles north west of Peronne.

Masonic :

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley