Robert Sharples

War Service

Robert joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Nelson Battalion, R.N. Division. He died on 13th July 1915 and is remembered on the Helles Memorial.

Family Life

Robert Sharples was born in 1895 at Crofton to Zephaniah and Beatrice Sharples. In the 1901 census the family was living at Crofton where his father was a pony driver underground, working for a local colliery.
His aunt remembered him to have black, curly hair and he wore his Navy cap at a jaunty angle. She also remembered that there was once a time when he and his brother Harry were on leave together and went to “The Black & White” in Wakefield and had their photograph taken together, though there is no trace of this photograph now. Two of his brothers joined the army and survived the War and another brother served in submarines and also survived. The Sharples menfolk were all members of the church choir. The family had a shop at Cock & Crown whilst living in Crofton, with the Post Office in the sitting room. They also had a cycle shop at one time and started a fish and chip shop.
In 1911 the family had moved to Sharlston Common where Zephaniah was again working at a local colliery, this time as a coal miner hewer.
In 1920 they moved to Meltham to a poultry farm and later moved to Blackpool to run a boarding house.

Helles Memorial