Lieutenant R C A Appleby of Norton Road, Wokingham.
Lt Robert Charles Alfred Appleby. Died 28 June 1916.
Lieutenant Robert Appleby was married and lived with his wife at 10 Barkham Road, Wokingham.
Service records tell us he was a Lieutenant in the Royal Scots, 1st Battalion attached to the 13th Battalion and on the 15th December 1914, 9768 Sgt Appleby was commissioned.*.
He died on 28th June 1916 and is buried in Vermelles.
*Contributor Jim Garnett advises us that the 1st Battalion was attached to the 13th in France according to another website.
A small article in the Reading Standard on 22 July 1916, reports Robert’s death from wounds he received during the battle of Vermelles. A note to his wife (reported as then living in Norton Road ) from a fellow officer says:
“He was a gallant officer, a gentleman and every inch a soldier”.
Jim Garnett wrote to Wokingham Remembers to provide a personal note to Lt Appleby’s biography page.
“A friend showed me a strong box he has had in his possession for some time bearing a dedication to Lt Appleby. It was rescued on its way to the skip; it had cast iron wheels and casters with a heavy clasp and on the side in large letters was painted:
‘BANK OF LIVERPOOL Ltd OTLEY’
“I could find no record of this bank having premises in this small Yorkshire town. On the top is a small plate with this dedication which may be of interest:
IN MEMORY OF MY DEAR OLD PAL LIEUT. R. C.A.A.APPLEBY
1ST BN THE ROYAL SCOTS
DIED OF WOUNDS RECEIVED IN ACTION 28th JUNE 1916
“I looked up the history of the bank and found its connection with Otley. Bank of Liverpool was formed in 1831, becoming a limited company in 1882. Bank of Liverpool and Martin’s Banks amalgamated in 1918 taking the name Liverpool & Martin’s bank. They acquired Lancashire & Yorkshire Bank and shortened name to Martin’s Bank in 1928. Liverpool and Martin’s Bank was acquired by Barclay’s in 1969. The Otley branch of Barclay’s moved into the old White Horse premises after the hotel closed, from the premises next to the Manor House.
It was on either the take over or the subsequent move that the box was discovered as the offices were being refurbished. The fellow officer who sent the note to his wife (above) may be the officer who made the dedication plate on the strongbox and could have had a connection with one of the banks which ended up as part of Barclay’s.
Lt Appleby had a great nephew who lived in Sydney, Australia in 2012, his first name is Iain”.
Jim has offered the following sources:
Comment from Jim which came via email 2nd Nov 2015:
“The forum is the one his great nephew used in 2012 (21st November) it also says his father was a baker and that he was married to Florence in 1915, their daughter, Kathleen, was born in 1916. The bank history is from their Archive site, it also lists some of the workforce who had or may have served in the war, it names one as a ‘works chemist’. Have you spotted the mistake on the plaque? It seems engraving mistakes were quite common and often left, but it also makes me wonder if another corrected one exists”.
Lt Appleby is remembered on our church memorial in St John’s Church, Gosbrook Road, Caversham and my research has led me to this article. He married Florence Edith Tucker on the 5th April 1915 in St Peter’s Parish Church, Caversham. At the time of their marriage they were both living at 91, Kings Road , Caversham with the Tucker family. Their daughter Kathleen F. A. was born January to March 1916 in Wokingham. We took a photo of his grave in Vermelles in May 2015.
Hello Jean. Many thanks for getting in touch. This is such an interesting contribution. Names of the men on Wokingham’s memorial often turn up elsewhere and you have provided another example. Thank you. It would be nice to add your contribution onto his page – gives it a personal touch. I can also include the photo if you wish. My email is mike@wokinghamremembers.com
One of the frustrating sides to the research has also been about the Wokingham men who were brought up in the town, but do not appear on its memorial. They moved away before the war and had no one in the area to remember them.
Thanks again
Mike Churcher