Unfortunately I cannot find a Robert Clayton in or around Connah’s Quay & Shotton on the 1911 census, so I am presuming that perhaps he came to the area after the 1911 census, but it is pure guesswork, so any help would be gratefully received.
Robert is mentioned in this book – Soldiers Died in the Great War, RWF Volume 28:- 8th Bn. Clayton, Robert. Born Ashton-under-Lyne, Enlisted Wrexham (Ashton-under-Lyne) 11566, Cpl. Died of Wounds Mesopotamia 2nd May 1918.
British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 about Robert Clayton tells us that he entered the Theatre of War on the 28th June 1915 and was an Acting Sergeant as well as a Corporal
UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 about Robert Clayton confirms the regimental details above, but states his residence and enlistment as Ashton-under-Lyne.
I cannot find his Army Service Records which may have cast a light on his residency at the time of enlistment. I cannot find his age given on any documentation, even the Commonwealth War Graves database.
Robert Clayton in the UK, Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, 1901-1929 tells us that the sole Legatee was his mother Sarah, who was paid £14. 0s 6d on the 24th January 1919 and his War Gratuity of £18. 10s 0d on the 6th January 1920. There was an adjustment of charge to the Regimental Paymaster of 16/6d.
I asked the Army Forum on 1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums to see if they had Robert’s Regimental Number, they would be able to tell me when he enlisted, as I haven’t any Army papers and KenF48 gave me the case of this soldier, who’s Regimental number was next to Roberts, so he might have followed the same road.:- Posted 18th September 2015, 02:07 PM – Pte 11567 William Jones enlisted at Wrexham on the 12 August. 1914, after two weeks at the Depot he was posted to the 8th Bn. on the 21 August 1914. Posted on active service overseas with the 8th Bn on 23 June 1915.
Also Hywyn from the Forum gave me a list of men from Shotton, off the Absent Voter’s List (at the Flintshire Record Office, Hawarden,) and the newspaper cutting of the Flintshire Observer, Thursday 17th September 1914 where a list of men who had enlisted showed Robert Clayton’s name on it, that, and the fact that his Regimental number was close to others from Shotton who had enlisted, proves to me that he was living here in the district for him to enlist.
I wanted to prove that Robert Clayton was living here pre-war and asked the Army Forum, . (Robert was 11566) :-
hywyn – Posted 19th September 2015, 01:21 PM
Although not conclusive there is a Robert Clayton on this list of Shotton enlistments dated 17th September – http://cymru1914.org…3755095/2/ART25
Note the following names/numbers of RWF men known to be from Shotton (from AbsentVoters list) all of whom would have enlisted up to about end Aug 1914. Robert Clayton’s regimental number 1156 suggests he enlisted locally at the same time as these men.
11518 Morris Thomas Shotton 24 Wellington Rd , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
11532 Thomas David G Shotton 7 Wellington Rd , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
11535 Bunnel Thomas Shotton Chester Rd , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
11556 Perks Frederick Shotton 3 Wepre View Terr, Bridge St , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
11560 Brooks Edward Shotton Nine Houses, Brook Rd , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
11569 Hollins Thomas Shotton Nine Houses, Brook Rd , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
11570 Bunnel Wilfred Shotton Chester Rd , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
11920 Amos Albert Edward Shotton 15 Brook St , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
12221 Reynolds John Robert Shotton 7 Bridge St , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
12658 Roberts John Shotton 69 Brook Rd , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
12665 Griffiths Thomas Henry Shotton Rowden Villas, Brook St , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
12694 Davies George Shotton Chester Rd , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
12725 Parker Abraham Shotton Hill Crest, Brook Rd , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
12728 Powell Isaac Shotton 16 Ryland St , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
12743 Stokes William B Shotton 26 Wellington Rd , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
12748 Whitehouse Joseph Shotton 45 Brook Rd , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
12765 Shutt Charles Harold Shotton 12 Wellington Rd , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
12782 Williams Ernest James Shotton The Poplars, Brook Rd , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
12789 Rogers Rowland Shotton 9 Salisbury St , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
12945 Page Noah Shotton Opposite Rowden Villas , Shotton Township, Q’Ferry Poll. Dist.
Many thanks to Hywyn and KenF48
I have found no link, up to now, except for the above tenuous link, of Robert living in the Deeside area, but he enlisted in Wrexham, which was where lots of local men enlisted so he could have come to the area after the 1911 census when lots of men and families came to work at John Summer’s and Sons. I contacted the Tata Archives (Formerly John Summer’s & Sons in the era of the Great War) and their reply was negative, but there were many factories in the area, i.e. Chemical and Chainmakers etc., so any help would be gratefully received.
I have since found a Robert Clayton, with a mother Sarah who was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, but of course, do not know if he was the Robert Clayton, so any help would be appreciated.
The Robert that I found had been born in St. Peter’s Parish, Ashton-under-Lyne on the 12th April 1890 and Baptised on the 30th April of 1890. His parents were Feredy and Sarah Clayton. Feredy was a Grinder and the address was 167, Charles Street. So he first appears on the 1891 census living at that address and it shows Feredy, 28 was a Gripper? & Grinder in the Cotton Mill. Robert’s mother, Sarah was 27 and the children were shown as Mary E., 5, Herbert, 3 and baby Robert age 1. The whole family had been born in Ashton u Lyne. Lancashire.
The family had moved by the 1901 census, now living at 44, Mount Street, Ashton u Lyne. Lancashire, still in St. Peters Parish. Feredy, 38 was head of the household and now a Cotton Carder, Sarah, 37 had given birth to more children. Mary E., 15 was working as a Cotton Card Tenter*, Herbert, 13 was possibly a Cotton Piecer.* Robert, now 10, Sydney, 8, Sarah, 6 and Feredy, 4 made up the family.
*http://www.andrewalston.co.uk/cottonindustryjobs.html
The family had moved again by the 1911 census and Feredy, 48, now a Carder, Cotton Spinning, tells us that he and Sarah, 47, had been married for 27 years and 7 children had been born to them, all still living. Robert,21 and single was in Cotton Spinning as all the working family were, as possibly a Piecer, (spelling not clear), Sydney, 18 and single was a Cotton Mixer, Sarah Anne, 16 was a Back (sic) Lenter, (possible a Box Lenter) and Feredy, 14 was a Little Piecer, leaving Annie, 11, in School.
If this is the right Robert Clayton, he would have fitted well at Courtlaulds factories in Flint.
Patricia Satchell sent me the War Diaries of the 8th Bn Royal Welsh Fusiliers, please see below and thanks to Patricia.
Many thanks to Kathleen Joynes who has informed us that Robert Clayton 1156 of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and his brother Feredy Clayton 26923 Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding)Regiment 9th Bttn. are both named on the Ashton Under Lyne War Memorial in St Michael’s Square, Ashton Under Lyne.
