Rifleman 32714 Bernard Roberts

Bernard Roberts was born 28th September 1893 in Liverpool and baptised on 02nd July 1894 at St Peters Church, Liverpool. He was the son of Edward Henry Roberts and his wife Annie (nee Ruddy). They were married on the 29th January 1888 at St Peter’s Church, Liverpool. Edward was a 25 year old painter, father Robert, whilst Annie was aged 17, father Thomas, both of Duke St. 

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 18 Kent Square, Liverpool. His father Edward Henry is aged 38, and employed as a house painter who was born in Liverpool. His wife Annie is aged 30, born 1871 with no occupation listed was also born in Liverpool. They have five children who are all living at home, Robert aged 11, born 1890, Edward aged 10, born 1891, Bernard aged 7, Phoebe aged 5, born 1896 and Annie aged 1, born 1900. All of the children were born in Liverpool.

The 1911 Census shows the family now living at 6 Kent Square, Liverpool.  His father Edward is now aged 48, and still employed as a house painter and his wife Annie is aged 40, with no occupation listed. They have been married for 23 years and have had nine children of which had died. All their children are still living at the home address. Robert aged 22, is a railway goods porter with Great Western Railway, Edward aged 20, is employed as a dry fruit porter, Bernard aged 17, is an errand boy, Phoebe aged 15, has no occupation listed, Annie aged 10, Nellie aged 8, born 1903 and Rachel aged 7, born 1904 are at school and son William was born in 1911. Edward's mother, Phoebe Roberts, is a widow aged 72, born 1839 in Liverpool and she is employed as a tailoress trouser hand.   

Bernard enlisted in Liverpool joining the 19th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 32714. Following a transfer, Bernard  was serving with the 1st/6th Battalion of the Liverpool Regiment as Rifleman 32714 when he died of wounds on the 12th April 1918 in France, aged 24 years.

 

He now rests at Lillers Communal Cemetery Extension, where his headstone bears the epitaph:

 

 

Lillers was used for billets and headquarter offices from the autumn of 1914 to April 1918. At that time it was a hospital centre with the 6th, 9th, 18th, 32nd, 49th and 58th Casualty Clearing Stations in the town at one time or another. These units buried their dead on the right of the central path of the communal cemetery, working back from Plot I. In April 1918, the Germans advanced as far as Robecq; Lillers came under shell-fire, and the units holding this front continued to bury beyond the cemetery boundary, in the extension. The COMMUNAL CEMETERY contains 894 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 67 of which are unidentified. There are also 15 German graves in the Commonwealth plots. The EXTENSION contains 71 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, six of them unidentified.

 

His family place an In Memoriam notice in the Liverpool Echo dated 24th April 1918,

 

 

Soldiers Effects and Pension to mother Annie.