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Robert Bernard Silk 30th Warwickshire BN Home Guard

ChrisM said:
This is a real mystery and, I think, possibly something we may not get to the bottom of. I believe we've established that Robert actually being injured at 14 Bowyer Road is unlikely because of the lack of any evidence of damage to that property - as far as we can tell, 80 years later. So my thought has been that the incident took place at a house in the immediate vicinity and he was taken to, and picked up from, that address. But the Marshall and Snelgrove comment from Robert's mother - who surely must have known the circumstances - could well rule that out. It's entirely feasible that Robert's Home Guard unit was sent to work in the city centre that night.

So, where can the Bowyer Road reference in the official records have come from?

Chris
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chris it could just be an error on the BARRA site which can happen...hopefully the death cert may shed more light

lyn
 
I am very grateful to several members of this Forum for help in delving into the history of Robert Silk whose very existence has been brought back into general awareness by a chance finding of his headstone in Yardley Cemetery a few days ago. And especially to Steve Silk for his insight into Robert's family.

I realise that there may well be more to uncover, especially when the death certificate is examined, but I thought that I would pull together all the information we have so far into a website page commemorating Robert's short life and his sacrifice. A bit of a memorial to him, where none so far exists apart from in family memory and in the form of a headstone.

The page can be modified/improved at any stage in the future, as and when further information surfaces, corrections are needed etc., etc. In doing this, I have taken the liberty of using Steve's two images, of Robert and his brother William. I hope this is OK but if there is any objection at all to that, or to any other aspect of the way in which the Silk family is being put into the public domain, please advise me and I will take immediate remedial action.

The link to the article is here: http://www.staffshomeguard.co.uk/DotherReminiscences17830thWarksSilk.htm (The link is entirely safe). That page is just for members and visitors here at the moment, and one other small group, and so isn't googleable by/accessible to the world at large; just until I'm confident everyone is OK with it.

Chris
 
Two of Robert's comrades in the 30th Warwickshire also died that month: George Walter Inwood G.C. whose remarkable actions are well-known; and a man who has only just come to light, Section Leader William James Knowles (correction: LOWNES) of Harborne on 29th October 1940. That's three men within a space of 14 days. Desperate times.

Chris
 
Steve I have just read this thread with great interest.
My father in law Frank Taylor was born in 1910 Coleman street, he always said he was related to Robert
Kilroy Silk but when I did the family tree it wasn't actually 'related'.

Franks mother died in 1912 and his father married a widow Sophia in 1913 , her maiden name Stevens,she died when Frank was 6 and Rose born 1913 was 4 their father abandoned Frank and Rose and Sophias teenage children.

Sophias sister Amy Stevens had married George Silk, they lived at 108 Henry street, and George was a labourer Amy we believe had a coffee shop.
It is believed they owned a house in Lupin street and she housed her sisters children and Frank there.
The teenage girls cared for Frank and Rose until they were adult.

George Silk was born in 1874 to Thomas and Sarah nee Simkins
amongst his siblings Harry born 1888 who married Rose Gibbons and they were parents of Robert Bernard Silk.
In 1901 Sarah a widow was living in Lupin street with her children including Harry.
 
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Alberta said:
Steve I have just read this thread with great interest.
My father in law Frank Taylor was born in 1910 Coleman street, he always said he was related to Robert
Kilroy Silk but when I did the family tree it wasn't actually 'related'.

Franks mother died in 1912 and his father married a widow Sophia in 1913 , her maiden name Stevens,she died when Frank was 6 and Rose born 1913 was 4 their father abandoned Frank and Rose and Sophias teenage children.

Sophias sister Amy Stevens had married George Silk, they lived at 108 Henry street, and George was a labourer Amy we believe had a coffee shop.
It is believed they owned a house in Lupin street and she housed her sisters children and Frank there.
The teenage girls cared for Frank and Rose until they were adult.

George Silk was born in 1874 to Thomas and Sarah nee Simkins
amongst his siblings Harry born 1888 who married Rose Gibbons and they were parents of Robert Bernard Silk.
In 1901 Sarah a widow was living in Lupin street with her children including Harry.
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Alberta – George was my uncle. The coffee house was called Silks and seemed to be the focus of things in the area. George was an illegal street bookmaker and the coffee house was used as an unofficial betting shop. He had various runners and lookouts to warn if the Old Bill were around! His son, also named George. Carried on the business and opened a legit bookmakers around Henry Street when it became legal to take bets. The Harry Silk you mentioned was my grandfather. He was a steel erector / steeplejack and was killed at the age of 37 when he fell from the top of Stourbridge Power Station which he was working on.
 
Hi Steve, we did know that George was an illegal bookie, my father in law Frank, who died age 96 in 2006 used to tell us stories about this when he talked of his childhood.
He had quite a history.
He was arrested in February 1900 and bailed, at his trial he was accused of maliciously wounding George E Lamb, he pleaded not guilty and the jury agreed and he was discharged, at the time he lived in GT Lister Street with his first wife Harriett.
 
Just another quick update - contacted Birmingham Register Office today about not having received Robert Bernard's death certificate. Reply was that they have a backlog of applications and the delivery is taking around eight to ten weeks - so could still be a month or more before the certificate arrives. Post the details as soon as I can.
 
Steve Silk said:
Just another quick update - contacted Birmingham Register Office today about not having received Robert Bernard's death certificate. Reply was that they have a backlog of applications and the delivery is taking around eight to ten weeks - so could still be a month or more before the certificate arrives. Post the details as soon as I can.
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thanks for the update steve...that seems an awful long time to wait...pretty certain that if you did as i did recently and ordered the cert direct from the GRO you would have received it within a week and its cheaper as well...
 
GRO are quicker because, I suspect, Birmingham give priority to current registrations which is as it should be. Even so they are taking a while - I waited nearly a month recently for my Dad's death cert to come from Birmingham. (That was first registration not copy).
GRO, I think, only deal with copies. Not sure about price.
 
Unusual. Even if no location was given I would have expected some indication of a cause. Even if vague like burns or fractures. So we are no wiser.
 
pjmburns said:
Unusual. Even if no location was given I would have expected some indication of a cause. Even if vague like burns or fractures. So we are no wiser.
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i agree jan seems very hush hush to me....so we dont even know where he died...ie a hospital

lyn
 
Astoness said:
i agree jan seems very hush hush to me....so we dont even know where he died...ie a hospital

lyn
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He actually died in the general hospital - when Robert failed to return home his mother reported it and was taken to the hospital and she walked through the wards and came accross him. Although Robert died some time after hes was injured, I hoped the certifiate would have given the location where it happened
 
Steve, so disappointing - let's hope that one day, somehow, the mystery about the circumstances surrounding Robert's death will be resolved.

There is also the question of Robert's first cousin, William Silk of 108 Henry Street, who died only a few weeks later at 117 Francis Street, presumably again as a result of enemy action, aged 23. I think that is another outstanding question, isn't it? In this case, we know even less - not even whether he was acting as a member of one of the civil defence organisations.

What an unfortunate family - two brothers, Robert and William, and a first cousin, also William, all lost in WW2.

Chris
 
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