Lives of the First World War

Most of those from the Valley who perished in World War One lie far from home, buried near the battlefields on which they fell, but none lies farther from an adopted home than Sergeant Robert Hounam. He died a member of the 47th Australian Infantry Battalion which he had joined on enlistment in Claremont, Tasmania. At the turn of the 20th Century, Robert had worked as a servant at Star House, Rothbury and later he served a five year apprenticeship as a draper with Dixon Bros in Rothbury. In one of his cards to his sister, he reported his pleasure at having received a long letter from David Dippie Dixon, his former employer. At some time before 1911, he emigrated to Australia, setting up home with his wife Phoebe and daughter Joan, in Queen Street, Burnie, Tasmania. He enlisted in September 1915, aged 28, 5’5” tall and weighing 8st 10 lbs. He is described as being of fair complexion, with blue eyes and dark brown hair and as having a tattoo on the ring finger of each hand. Within a year of enlistment, in September 1916, he had been promoted Sergeant and only two months later he died on 18th November. His Battalion had been involved in the battle of Pozières, a two week struggle for the village of that name during what was known as the Battle of the Somme 1916. This was to be primarily remembered as an Australian battle, a place ‘more densely sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on earth’. The Somme was also the place of sacrifice of a young life from Rothbury and the Coquet Valley. Robert Hounam’s last resting place is on the Somme, in Bulls Road Military Cemetery, near the village of Flers. He, too, had written warmly but in a calm and positive way to his sister, clearly accepting the dangers facing him: Just a card to let you know I have landed somewhere here alright. The boys are up in the line, not good news to come back to but it is a soldier’s life. With love from Brother Bob. On 14th October 1948, the Burnie Advocate, the local newspaper of the town in Tasmania where the two Hounam brothers had settled after emigrating to Tasmania, recorded the death on 12th October of Phoebe, dearly loved wife of Emmerson Thomas and mother of Joan. From "The Valley Remembers" by the Coquet Valley history team - Sandy Hunter, Duncan Glen and Freda Walker.

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