Name
Richard George Rolph
5/04/1891
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
04/09/1916
25
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
28415
Bedfordshire Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 2 C.
France
Headstone Inscription
He has no headstone. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France, to the fallen.
UK & Other Memorials
We are not aware of any Bower Heath memorials,
Not on the Peter's Green memorials,
Fulbourn War Memorials, Fulbourn, Cambs.,
East Hyde, Beds War Memorial
Pre War
Richard George Rolph was born on 5 April 1891, in Peters Green, Herts, son of Matthew Rolfe/Rolph a Farm Worker and Emma Amelia Rolph (nee Dunham). One of ten children.
1891 Census records Richard aged 3 months, living with his parents, and seven siblings in Peters Green, Herts.
1901 Census sees the family now living in Little Cutts Village, Nr Wheathampstead, Herts. Later that year his father Matthew died aged 47.
Richard was Baptised on 12 November 1905, at Holy Trinity Church, East Hyde, Beds.
By 1911 the family had moved to Bower Heath, Harpenden, Richard was working as a Domestic Gardener, still living at home with his widowed mother, brothers Thomas and William and sister Maud, his nephew Harold Rolph (13) was also staying with the family.
Richard married Edith Ellen Tofts, the daughter of Joshua and Ellen Tofts of Linton, Cambridgeshire, in 1912, in Linton, Cambridgeshire. Edith remarried in 1923, in Linton, Cambs, to William C. Bunting.
Wartime Service
Richard enlisted at Luton, Beds, posted to the Bedfordshire Regiment with the service number 28415.
He was killed in action on Monday 4 September 1916, during the assault against the strongly defended Faffemont Farm. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the fallen in France.
Additional Information
His effects of £2-6s-4d, Pay Owing and £3, War Gratuity went to his widow Edith.
Edith received a widows pension of 10/- a week from 26 March 1917.
Acknowledgments
Stuart Osborne
Jonty Wild
