296th Railway Company, Royal Engineers
Robert Stanley Bourne was born in Cheltenham on 24 December 1881, the eldest son of William and Katherine Bourne of 256 High Street, Cheltenham.
He was educated at Christchurch Higher Grade School and upon leaving entered the plumbing trade.
He married Emily, daughter of George Cresswell of 10 Blenheim Road, Gloucester on 3 July 1907 and they had a son, Samuel Stanley, born on 28 July 1912. At that time he and his wife were living at 51 St Paul’s Street North.
Robert enlisted soon after the outbreak of war, joining the Territorials on the 13 October 1914, subsequently transferring to the Royal Engineers on 25 January 1915. He served in France and Flanders from April 1915 with 296th Railway Company, before returning to England on 10 September 1918. At this time he was suffering from shell shock and died of a brain haemorrhage in Stoke-on-Trent Hospital eight days later on 29 August aged 39. He is buried in Cheltenham Borough Cemetery, his grave marked with a CWGC headstone.
Researched by Graham Adams 14 February 2012
(Taken from ‘Leaving all that was dear – Cheltenham in the Great War’ by Graham Sacker and Joe Devereux)