Lives of the First World War

Robert Henry Flook PRO Kew - Soldiers' record cards held on microfiche. Birth - Robert Henry Flook - GRO ref = vol 1a p 430 (St Geo Hanover Sq, London) Dec ¼ 1877. Birth - - GRO ref = vol , p ( ) ¼ 18. Marriage - GRO ref = vol 1c, p 260 (Shoreditch) Sep ¼ 1906. Death - Robert Henry Flook - GRO ref = vol , p ( ) ¼ 19 . Death - - GRO ref = vol , p ( ) ¼ 19 . TNA - WO 128: Imperial Yeomanry. TNA - British war & victory medal roll WO329/49, page 3956 TNA - 1914 Star medal roll WO329/2410, page 8 TNA - WO 363: Burnt documents RG 11: 1881 Census RG 101: 1939 Register Robert Henry Flook was the father of Emily Alice Flook and was my stepfather’s maternal grandfather. Robert Henry Flook was born in the parish of St George, London, Middlesex. His parents were Robert and Matilda Flook. The 1881 census shows Robert senior as a printer’s warehouseman, aged 30 and born Westminster, Middlesex. Matilda was aged 24 and also born Westminster. Robert Henry was then aged three, born Westminster. He had a two year old sister, Elizabeth M Flook, also born Westminster, and a one year old brother, William G Flook, born Hoxton. The transcription gives the family address as 19 Underwood Street, Shoreditch, London, Middlesex, however the written document gives 19 Underwood Street, St Leonard, Hackney, Westminster. Robert was single and a porter when, on 6th March 1901 he attested to join the Imperial Yeomanry, Metropolitan Mounted Rifles, for service in the Second Boer War of 1899 - 1902. He signed to join for one year or for the duration of the war in South Africa, were it to continue for more than a year. If the war were to end within a year, he could leave military service at the end of the war or after he had served a year, at his option. He was still living in his father’s house and had never served in the military previously. His age then was 23 years and five months. Robert served as a Private, Number 34411, in the 96th Company, 24th Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry. His attestation document lists his unit as the First Tower Hamlets Volunteers. The address 15 Somerley Road, Barking, is marked on the document, however his father, also Robert Henry Flook, as his next of kin, lived at 18 Bridport Place, Hoxton. Perhaps the Barking address is where his father lived when young Robert joined but then perhaps his father moved to Hoxton while Robert was serving. Robert’s service record shows him `Home’ for 37 days from 6th March to 11th April 1901; South Africa for one year and 127 days, from 12th April 1901 to 30th September 1902; and at home again for 48 days from 1st October to 17th November 1902. He was eventually discharged on 17th November 1902 at Shorncliffe, as medically unfit. He had served for a total of one year and 257 days. He had not had education while in the army, had not been wounded, had not performed any gallant actions and had not been injured in or by his service. He had served in the South African campaign. For his part in that war he was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal with clasps: Orange Free State. Cape Colony. Transvaal. South Africa 1901. South Africa 1902. The Imperial Yeomanry was one of 43 yeomanry regiments which took part in that war, together with all but six of the regular British Army regiments. The South African peacetime garrison was 12,000. At the start of the war this was increased to 69,000. During the war 256,340 regular soldiers, 109,048 militia, yeomanry and volunteers, 30,633 soldiers from the colonies and between 50,000 and 60,000 South Africans fought on the British side. 5,774 were killed in action while 16,168 died of disease. 75,430 were sick or wounded. Many who fought in that war returned to or remained in the army and fought in World War One. The Imperial Yeomanry were mounted infantry. There were three main waves of recruitment. The first wave consisted mainly of aristocrats, who provided their own horses and were largely self funded into the theatre of war. The second wave were less well-to-do but knew how to ride. I believe horses were provided for them. The third wave consisted of enthusiastic adventurers, some of whom did not know how to ride but joined up anyway, learning on the job. Standard artillery used in the war were 12 Pounder guns, adopted in 1885, converted to 15 Pounder for the field artillery. The 12 Pounder 6 hundredweight gun, introduced in 1892 for the horse artillery was also used. Both used cordite propellant and were sighted to 5,500 yards. Each brigade of infantry included two machine gun sections equipped with the Maxim machine gun. The Maxim had a single barrel, was sighted to 2,500yds, weighed 40 pounds (about 18 kg) and could fire at a rate of 10 rounds per second. The Lee - Enfield rifles in use with the infantry fired the Mark 4 ball round. This was hollow pointed and at the height of production 3,000,000 rounds were made each week.

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