Richard Charles Phillips

A Private with the 2nd Battalion, Richard died on 9th of September 1916 at the age of 22. 

Richard was born at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1893, a son of Richard Samuel and Margaret Hannah Coker Phillips. In 1901 his family lived at 87 Vine Street, Wallsend. In 1902 Richard’s father died and subsequently his mother married Robert Taylor. In 1911 the family lived at 17 Ontario Road, Lowestoft, and Richard was a painter working for a building company. Later his family lived at 11 Norfolk Street.

Richard enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft. He joined the Royal Sussex Regiment, service number G/11271. In 1916 he was posted to France to join the 2nd Battalion. 

On 9 September 1916 the 2nd Battalion, with one battalion each from the 1st and 3rd Brigades, were ordered to attack and capture the German trench in High Wood and to the east. At 4.45 p.m. the battalion advanced with their objective being a portion of Wood Lane trench. The battalion advanced against heavy artillery and machine-gun fire. C Company, in particular, suffered heavily due to machine-gun fire. A Company managed to advance beyond the objective. The advance of the Northamptons, on the left flank, had not gone well, leaving the battalion’s left flank exposed and so a defensive flank was dug connecting the captured line with the original front line. By dark the area was being consolidated. Several prisoners were captured and one Maxim gun. 

The battalion’s casualties were:

Officers: six killed, four wounded
Other ranks: 43 killed, 146 wounded, 59 missing, 4 wounded and missing

Richard was reported missing on 9 September and in 1917 it was concluded that he had been killed in action on that date. 

Richard’s body was found at map reference 57.c.S10.b.85.95. he was identified by items of uniform, some of which were stamped with his service number. By January 1936 he had been reburied at London Cemetery and Extension, Longueval. 

Richard's brother Christopher served with the West Yorkshire Regiment and died in 1918.