Lance Corporal Raymond Douglas Tilbrook.

10th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment), Service number 12003.

There were two boys with the name Raymond Tilbrook and they had the same father but different mothers. It is necessary to unpick their stories to help explain the family life.

The First Raymond:

Raymond’s parents were Frederick Tilbrook and Elizabeth Tilbrook née McCormick who were married in Keighley on 5th June 1880. When they married, Frederick was a 27 year old widower employed as a coachman and living at Beechcliffe in Keighley. Elizabeth was a 22 year old spinster and domestic servant living at Greengate in Keighley.

Frederick’s first wife was Clara Maria Tilbrook née Cutter, of Beechcliffe. They were married at Keighley in the first quarter of 1876. They’d had a son called Raymond who was born in 1877 and there is a non-conformist baptism for him at Keighley on 14th July 1877. His parents are named as Frederick and Clara Tilbrook of Worth Village. Fred is working as a groom and the baptism was performed by Edward Craven.
Sadly their family life was shattered when Clara died in the second quarter of 1879, aged just 24, leaving Frederick to bring up Raymond alone. Clara’s probate record shows she left £45 6s 1d to Frederick, which was granted on 3rd November 1882. At that time he was still employed as a groom and living at 12, Eastwood Square, Eastwood Row in Keighley.

Frederick’s second wife was Elizabeth McCormick and they were married in Keighley on 5th June 1880. Frederick was a 27 year old widower living at Beechcliffe and was working as a coachman. Elizabeth was a 22 year old spinster living at Greengate and she was employed as a domestic servant.
Elizabeth would have also taken on young Raymond who would have been about three years of age by now.

In the 1881 census, the family were apart from each other, but it was likely just a coincidence that it happened to be the time of the census. Frederick was recorded at 27, Frederick Street in Keighley with his parents James and Mary Tillbroke(sic). He has his son Arthur with him who was just one year old.

On the night of the census on 3/4th April 1881, Elizabeth was staying with her parents John and Jane McCormick at Abbey Yard near Crossmichael in Kirkcudbrightshire. She had her stepson Raymond who was four and her newly born son John who was aged just one month. It’s possible they had come up so that their baby John was born in Scotland and he was born here on . She had probably brought Raymond and John up to meet their grandparents and for baby John this was the first time and indeed, he had been baptised here on the 12th of March. It’s likely that Frederick and Arthur were also there for the birth and baptism but had returned to Keighley just before the census, perhaps because of his work commitments as a groom.

Two years later, tragedy struck Frederick’s life again, when Raymond died at just five years of age. His death was registered at Keighley in the second quarter 1883.

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The second Raymond:

About eighteen months later Elizabeth gave birth to a third son, who was named Raymond Douglas Tilbrook (between herself and Frederick.) He was born on 31st December 1884 and his birth was registered at Keighley in the first quarter of 1885. He was baptised at St. Peter’s Church on South Street in Keighley on 1st March 1885. The family were living at Minnie Street at the time, which was just a few streets away from St. Peter’s Church and his father Frederick was now employed as a postman. Raymond had two older brothers who were Arthur aged about five and John, aged about four.

In the 1891 census Raymond was aged six and living at 3, Minnie Street with his parents and two brothers. Frederick was employed as a Board School caretaker and Elizabeth was looking after the family home. Raymond’s brother Albert and John were aged eleven and ten respectively and all three boys were at school, although Arthur was recorded as a worsted spinner. Because of his young age, this is likely to be a half-time job with school for the other half of the day. The closest school to their home was Holy Croft School just half a dozen streets away and there were several worsted spinning mills nearby, these being the Prospect, Beech, Hope and Greengate Mills.

From electoral registers we can see that Frederick’s voting address changed from 3, Minnie Street to Kensington Road(?) in 1896 and after that they were at 37,Kensington Street.

In the 1901 census the family were still at 37, Kensington Street in Keighley. This was only a few yards around the corner from 3, Minnie Street, so there would be little change to their daily lives. Arthur has left home, Raymond was 16 and employed as a grocer’s apprentice for the Lund Park branch of the Co-operative Society. His father Frederick was 47 and was the caretaker/curator of a board school. His mother Elizabeth was aged 42 and looking after the family home, whilst his brother John was 20 and a piano maker. Also living with them was 23 year old Jean Murray, she was Frederick and Elizabeth’s niece and was employed as a hospital nurse. The neaest hospital at that time was St. John’s Infirmary, just a few streets away on Fell Lane.

From electoral registers we can see that Frederick’s voting address changed from 37, Kensington Street in 1904 and after that they were at 12, Gladstone Street.

In early 1910 Frederick died aged 57 which would have been a vey sad blow for the family. His death was registered in Keighley in the first quarter of the year.

The next year was the 1911 census. The family were living at 12, Gladstone Street. Raymond was single, aged 26 and had moved up in the world, he was a grocer and now the manager of the Utley branch of the Keighley Cooperative Society.
His mother Elizabeth was aged 51 and looking after the family home. also living with them was John aged 30 and his wife (also Elizabeth) aged 27 was not employed and they’d been married for one year. John had taken over the position of caretaker at the Holycroft Council School, employed by the Education Committee of the Borough Council.

On 21st May 1912, Raymond was 27 when he married Sarah McKechnie at St. James’s Church in Cross Roads. The banns had been read there (and possibly also at St. Peter’s Church in Keighley) on 28th April, 5th May and 12th May that year.
Raymond was a bachelor and employed as a Grocer, living at 12, Gladstone Street and Sarah was a 24 year old spinster living at 4, Garden Street, Cross Roads. Her father was James McKechnie, an agent and one of her brothers was Luther McKechnie, who was killed in action during the Great War in September 1916.

Raymond and Sarah had a daughter, Jean Audrey Tilbrook, born on 4th March, 1913. Her birth was recorded at Keighley in the second quarter of the year.

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War service:

Raymond enlisted at Keighley early in the war along with his two brothers Arthur and John. They are all recorded in ‘Keighley’s Gallant Sons,’ a list of early volunteers published in the Bradford Daily Telegraph on 22nd July 1915 and again on 6th October 1915. Their details were:

Tilbrook, Arthur, Gladstone Street. West Riding Regiment;
Tilbrook, John (married) 27, Upper Calton Street, 2nd Battalion, West Riding Regiment;
Tilbrook, Raymond Douglas, Gladstone Street, 10th Battalion, West Riding Regiment, (killed.)

Raymond enlisted with the 10th Battalion Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment with the regimental number 3/12003. He was one of Captain Tunstill’s men and he went out to France with the Battalion, arriving in France on 28th August 1915.
He would have been with them at Bramshott Camp when they receive their orders to move abroad. The Battalion was spilt into three parties which entrained at Liphook Station on 23rd August and set off from either Southampton to Havre, or Folkestone where they boarded transport for Boulogne., arriving there at 11.15 pm on 27th August 1915.

WO-95/2184/1. 10th Battalion, West Riding Regiment war diary:

23/8/15:
Received definite orders for the Battalion to move abroad.
The Battalion is to move in 3 parties. The 1st Consists of Transport – MG Section, and some men of A Company under 2nd Lieutenant F. Hird to assist in loading etc. This party numbering 110 all ranks and 4 ASC Drivers entrained at LIPHOOK STATION at 10.30 pm 24/8/15 under command of Major Buchanan.
24/8/15:
The other parties consisting of the remainder of the Battalion are divided as follows – 1st Party C and D Companies under Captain Gill, second party HQ’s, A and B Companies. These parties to entrain at LIPHOOK on the afternoon of ____ at 4.45 pm and 5.20 pm respectively.
The 2nd and 3rd parties met on the boat at Folkestone. They reached BOULOGNE at 11.15 pm and were guided to the rest camp about 2, 1/2 miles from the harbour. At 5 am they were on the move again, and at 12 noon left PONT d’ABRIQUES which is some 3 miles from BOULOGNE. At about 4 pm they arrived at WATTEN where they detrained and marched to billets at NORT-LEULINGHEM, where the transport arrived soon after. Attached is nominal roll of officers with the Battalion at this time.
28/815:
Nothing of any note happened on this day. The men were given a rest and settled own in billets which consisted of barn and farm houses.
29/8/15 to 31/8/15:
During this period the Battalion remained in billets at NORT-LEULINGHEM. A few route marches were taken.
1/9/15 to 5/9/15:
Whilst at this place training consisted principally of short route marches, 5 men were admitted to hospital with minor complaints. In the 5th we had orders to prepare to move with the Brigade early next morning.
6/9/15:
At 5.45 am the Battalion marched out from NORT-LEULINGHEM. During the day the Division performed a march of about 20 miles. As the day advanced the heat became great. This continued, with no hard roads was the cause of the numerous men who fell out. At 3.15 pm we marched into billets at WALLON CAPPELL.
7/9/15:
At 9 am we marched out of billets and proceeded to billets between TIEUXBERQUIN and OUTSERSTEEN. The billets were very indifferent.
8/9/15:
The Battalion was inspected by General Poultney, Commanding 3rd Corps to which the 23rd Division belongs.
9/9/15 to 11/9/15:
Nothing of any note. The Battalion carried out a short route march on the 9th inst.
12/9/15:
OUTERSTEEN.
The Battalion received written orders to move this day. The order arrived about 1 am. At 9 am the Battalion quitted billets and marched about seven miles to ERQUINGHEM. There it was met by the Staff Captain of the 81st Brigade who conducted it to bivouac about 1 1/2 miles South of the town. At the same time he handed a coy of the programme for a period of instruction for the Battalion. For this instruction the Battalion was attached to the 27th Division.
13/9/15:
The CO, 2nd in Command, Adjutant, Company Commander and MG Officer proceeded to the trenches and reported to the Headquarters 1st Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders for instruction I the routine etc in the trenches.
11 am: The officers and sergeants reported HQ 2nd Gloucestershire Regiment for instruction in billets. At the same hour, various officers and sergeants of the same Regiment proceeded to our HQ to instruct the corporals and men of the Battalion in billets.
6 pm: C Company marched off to the trenches for 24 hours instruction in the trenches under the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. The instruction consisted of the officers, NCOs and men performing the same duties as the instructor.
14/9/15:
ERQUINGHEM.
During the day A + B Companies were instructed in the billets of the 2/Gloucestershire Regiment.
6.30 pm: A + B Companies proceeded to the trenches for instruction under the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders for 24 hours. C & D Companies returned to bivouac.
8 pm: Orders were received under secret heading for the Battalion to take over the trenches as shown in the order which is attached.
15/9/15:
7 pm:
Relieved 2nd Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, 9th Royal Scots, 2nd Gloucestershire Regiments of parts of their trenches. The Battalion now occupy T.5.2. T 5.3 T.5.4. & part of the BOIS GRENIER Line from MOAT FARM to the North East.
The night was quiet, During inspection of trenches many improvements to be carried out were noted.
Several German snipers annoyed the sentries during the night. No casualties. Amount of small arms ammunition was 5060 rounds.
16/9/15:
All quiet. Artillery duel over our heads. Germans retaliated on our trenches, but did no damage. We suffered our first casualty, *No. 13684 Private Arthur Hargreaves, A Company was sniped whilst cooking his dinner. He died instantaneously.
In the evening the dumping ground was swept by machine gun fire by the enemy, during this time **Lance Corporal 16211(sic) R. D. Tillebrooke(sic) of A Company was shot through the head.
Both casualties were buried in the BOIS GRENIER Church Yard, crosses were erected over their bodies.

*Arthur was from Cowling.
**actually he was Lance Corporal 12003 R. D. Tilbrook.

Note:

The war diary above states that these two men were buried in the church graveyard and from records we can see that they are now in the Brewery Orchard Cemetery. This is located 300 metres away along the main road from the church.
At that time there was a dressing station located in the Brewery cellars next to Brewery Orchard Cemetery and the men who died there were buried in that location. It’s possible that this is where Arthur and Raymond were actually buried, or that they were buried here but moved at some point after that, but the concentration record sheet was lost.

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Keighley News 16th September 191 page 6:

DEATH OF PRIVATE R. D. TILBROOK
Private R.D. Tilbrook of Vernon Street, Cross Roads, of “A” Company, 4th Platoon, 10th West Riding Regiment, who left England for France on Thursday August 26, has been reported killed while taking supplies to the trenches on the British front during the night of Thursday September 16th. He was killed instantly by machine gunshot at 10 o’clock and was buried the day afterwards in the neighbouring village cemetery. Writing to Mrs. Tilbrook, early this week, the chaplain of the company conveys the deepest sympathy of the officers and men, and says that the funeral was attended by Private Tilbrook’s comrades, several of whom enlisted with him a year ago from Keighley and district. He also states that orders have been given for a cross to be erected on the grave, on which will be inscribed Private Tilbrook’s name and rank etc. From Lance-Corporal R.C. Chorley also a message of condolence has been received by the widow, with the regrets of the whole of the members of the platoon who, he says, held Private Tilbrook in the highest esteem. His age was 30, and he was the youngest son of the late Mr. Fred Tilbrook, for many years curator of the Holycroft School, Keighley, and of Mrs. Tilbrook, late of Gladstone Street, Keighley. Another brother, John, is at present in training with the 18th West Yorkshire Regiment. Private Tilbrook will be well remembered by many friends in the South Ward of Keighley. He was assistant in the Co-Operative Stores at Lund Park, and at the time of enlistment manager of the Utley Co-Operative Stores. He leaves a widow and one child.

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Keighley News report dated 25th September 1915, Page 10:

Tilbrook – On the night of 16th September, from machine-gun fire, while taking supplies to the trenches, in France, Private Raymond Douglas Tilbrook, of A Company, 4th Platoon, Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, Aged 30, late of Vernon Street, Cross Roads, Keighley, youngest son of the late Mr. Fred Tilbrook, of Gladstone Street, Keighley.

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Bradford Daily Telegraph, 8th October 1915, page 4:

A Keighley soldier writing to a friend describes having had twelve days in the trenches.
The first eight days, fine weather was experienced, and then rain simply poured down and they were over the boot tops in mud. They were in one of the biggest bombardments ever known, “It was real, I can tell you,” he adds “Shells were bursting all around, and how they missed us I don’t know, for we were on the top of the trench firing for all we were worth.
They seem to have made a good advance on the right, but you will probably know more about it than we do, as we can only get to know a little here. We had only three wounded in our company and twenty in the battalion. When Raymond Tilbrook was killed he had gone for the grub.”

In the same issue;
Another lad writing to Keighley from France says: “Six days in the trenches in this weather is too much to call a holiday, and more so when there is such a bombardment as we have ha for a few days and nights. Shells went over our heads like rain. We could see the German trenches going ‘up in the air.’ So far I keep missing getting hit, and I never felt much better in health than I do now. I hope these cold nights will not find my weak place.

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Raymond’s brother John was wounded whilst serving and mentioned in the casualty lists of the Keighley News about a year after Raymond had been killed.

Keighley News report dated 19th August 1916, page 5:

West Yorkshire Regiment, wounded: Sgt. J. Tilbrook, (714).

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Post war:

Raymond’s wife Sarah was the sole legatee in Raymond’s will. She received his outstanding Army pay of £4 1s 1d on 20th December 1915.She also received a war gratuity payment of £3 on 21st July 1919. She would have received his war medals which were the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. She would also have been in receipt of a bronze memorial plaque and a King’s certificate inscribed with his name.
A War Dependent’s Pension of 15 shillings per week was awarded from 8th March 1916 with the first payment arriving on 2st March. Jean’s element would have ended on her 16th birthday, 4th March 1929.

In the 1921 census Sarah and Jean were living at 4, Garden Street with Raymond’s mother, sisters and cousin.

Their war pension was reviewed in 1923 and after that, Sarah was receiving £1 6s 8d and Jean was receiving 10 shillings (she was aged ten at that time). They were still living at 4, Garden Street in Cross Roads.

Remembrance:

Raymond is also remembered in the Borough of Keighley 1914 – 1918 Roll of Honour and on the Cross Roads War Memorial in the Cross Roads Park memorial building. He is also one of the fallen named on the St. Peter’s Church Roll of Honour which is held at Keighley Civic Centre.

Sarah’s brother Luther McKechnie was also killed in action, on 5th September 1915, almost a full year since Raymond was killed.

He is also buried in France but the McKechnie family grave in Haworth Cemetery on Penistone Hill has a secondary memorial headstone in the form of an open book, with Luther’s details on the left page and Raymond’s on the right.

Other family members:

Raymond and Sarah’s daughter Jean Audrey, married Leonard Smith in the summer of 1932 and about 9 months later on 27th March 1933, their daughter Rae Smith was born. In the 1939 register they were all living with Sarah at 3, Vernon Street in Cross Roads.

Sarah was still living there when she died aged 63 on 21st September 1951. Her death was registered in the Worth Valley during the third quarter of the year.
A funeral notification appeared in the newspaper at the time:

Bradford Observer, 21st September 1951, page 4:

Deaths.
TILBROOK. – Sept. 20, at 3, Vernon St., Cross Roads, Sarah (McKechnie) (63), dearly-loved wife of the late Raymond Douglas Tilbrook. Cortege leaves address tomorrow,10, for service Bocking Meth. Church, prior to interment Haworth Cemetery.
Accept this (the only) intimation.

Raymond’s granddaughter Rae M. E. Smith was about 26 years old when she married Harry B. Laws in 1956, their marriage was registered in the Worth Valley in the second quarter of the year.

Leonard Smith died aged 62 and his death was recorded in the Worth Valley in the second quarter on 1971.

Jean Audrey Smith was living at 13, Lees Bank Avenue in Cross Roads when she died (8 days after her 74th birthday) on 12th February 1987.

We have not found a death record for Harry Laws.

Information sources:

England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915.
West Yorkshire, Non-Conformist Records, 1646-1985.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915.
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995.
1881 England census.
1881 Scotland Census.
Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950.
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935.
Keighley’s Gallant Sons at Keighley Library.
Keighley News at Keighley Library.
British Newspaper Archive.
Bradford Daily Telegraph.
England & Wales, Free B.M.D. Birth Index, 1837-1915.
West Yorkshire, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1910.
1891 England Census.
1901 England Census.
1911 England Census.
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935.
England & Wales, Free B.M.D. Marriage Index, 1837-1915.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Soldiers Died in the Great War.
Findagrave.com.
British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920.
World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920.
World War I Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923.
Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, 1901-1929.
1921 England Census.
1939 England and Wales Register.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007.
Bradford Observer.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005.
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995.
All West Yorkshire, England, Electoral Registers, 1840-1962 results for Frederick Tilbrook.