BORN DRIFFIELD 1887. SON OF ROBERT CAULTON MAYNARD (1866-1952) & MARY ANN LEIGHTON (1869-1931), OF DRIFFIELD. SON OF A COACHMAN AND GROOM. HE HAD TWO SISTERS, MARY AND AMY.
HE MARRIED WINIFRED ANN LLOYD (1893-1961), AT ROTHERHAM, IN 1915. THEY LIVED AT 8 BADSLEY STREET, ROTHERHAM AND HAD TWO SONS, GORDON AND ROBERT
HE ENLISTED AT HULL. SERVED WITH THE EAST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT. TRANSFERRED TO THE 2ND YORKSHIRE REGIMENT. DIED ON 02/04/1917, AGED 30. LISTED AS A HULL CASUALTY – HULL DAILY MAIL, ON 03/05/1917.
HIS ARMY EFFECTS WERE LEFT TO HIS WIDOW, WINIFRED, AT 8, BADSLEY STREET, ROTHERHAM (WAR PENSION ADDRESS). ROBERT IS ALSO LISTED ON THE ROLVENDEM WW1 MEMORIAL, KENT, WITH WILLIAM & CHARLES MAYNARD?
MAYNARD R.H – Private 33436 Robert Hudson MAYNARD. 2nd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment. Formerly, (23940) East Yorkshire Regiment. Died Monday 2nd April 1917 aged 30 years. Born Driffield. Enlisted Hull. Son of Robert Caultous Maynard and Mary Ann Maynard of Driffield, Yorkshire. Husband of Winnifred Annie Maynard of 8 Badsley Street, Rotherham. Buried in the Henin Communal Cemetery Extension, France. Grave reference III.D.18. The Ashford 1918 Absentee Voters List gives – High Street, Rolvenden
Robert has no obvious Rolvenden connection.
During this action at Gavrelle on 3rd May 1917, the Battalion war diary recorded: ‘At 3.45 a.m. our barrage commenced and the Battalion went forward to the attack, and from information received afterwards, reached the first objective without serious losses. Heavy Artillery and Machine Guns on both sides remained very active, and at 5.30 a.m. no definite information had been received. About this time wounded men were beginning to dribble in, and from their accounts it was obvious that our attack had failed in reaching its second objective, and also in holding the first.’ Things were getting desperate and Battalion Headquarters admin staff were sent forward. The war diary continued:
‘All stragglers were collected and organized, and about 7.30 a.m. 80 men were available in the front line [out of the original attacking strength of 547 all ranks]. There was no touch with Battalions on either left or right, so trenches were blocked, and bombing parties stationed on each flank.’
The attack was stopped by an enemy counter attack and reinforcements were sent forward. However, by the end of the day only three officers returned, all three were wounded. The losses were 4 officers killed and 8 missing; other rank numbers were 15 killed, 122 wounded and 26 missing.
