Personal History
Robert Tims, the youngest child of Betsy and Robert John Tims, was born on the 16th of July 1892 and baptised at St. John's, Lemsford on the 11th September 1892. His father, who ran the watercress beds at what is now Lemsford Springs Nature Reserve, had died six weeks earlier on the 3rd of June. He attended Lemsford School from 1896 to 1906 and left to help his widowed mother in the watercress beds. By 1911 he was working as a domestic hall boy at Little Barford House, St. Neots.Attended St Johns School 7th September 1896 - 3rd August 1906.
War Record
London Irish Rifles, 9th Regiment and 2nd/18th Battalion of the London Regiment
On the 22nd March 1917 he enlisted at Hertford giving his address as Kensington Palace Gardens, and joined the 9th London Regiment as Rifleman 4239. He was discharged on the 30th November 1915 as being no longer physically fit for war service. On the 20th November 1916 he was issued with Silver War Badge No. 67427. The Silver Badge was worn on the right lapel of civilian clothes by ex-servicemen to show that they had been honourably discharged from military service because of wounds or sickness. It was a common practice for women to humiliate apparently able bodied men who were not in uniform by presenting them, with a white feather and branding them a coward.
After recovering from his illness Rifleman Robert Tims 591917 was assigned to the 2nd/18th Battalion of the London Regiment (London Irish Rifles). The Regiment, after serving in France and then Macedonia joined General Allenby's Army in Palestine fighting the Turks. They played a part in in the capture of Jerusalem and then the desert campaign. On the 23rd December 1917 the Battalion confronted a much superior Turkish force at Khurbet Adaseh, about 5 miles northeast of Jerusalem, and were wiped out - only one subaltern and one sergeant of the officers and NCOs survived. Rifleman Robert Tims died here.
War Memorial
He is remembered with Honour in the Jerusalem War Cemetery. 26. His name is also inscribed on Irelands Memorial Records of the Great War. The inscription on his parents grave in St. John's north churchyard, row 9, plot 9 reads: ‘In loving memory of Robert John Tims died June 3 1892 aged 35. Betsy Tims, died June 17th 1927 aged 73 Robert Tims killed Dec 23rd 1917 aged 25‘.
