Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Leycester Haymes (31 December 1870 – 16 May 1942) was a lieutenant-colonel in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, Commander of the 6th Siege Battery during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and one of the first officers to establish an OP at the

Battle of Neuve Chapelle The Battle of Neuve Chapelle (10–13 March 1915) took place in the First World War in the Artois region of France. The attack was intended to cause a rupture in the German lines, which would then be exploited with a rush to the Aubers Ridge an ...

.''Who’s Who, 1935''. Published by A&C Black Limited, London W1, 1935. p. 1498 A collection of Haymes's

photographs held at the

Imperial War Museum The Imperial War Museum (IWM), currently branded "Imperial War Museums", is a British national museum. It is headquartered in London, with five branches in England. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, it was intended to record the civ ...

, taken while he was in the O.P. and Commander of the 6th Siege Battery, provide a unique insight into the early days of

including one of the first 9.2-inch howitzers to arrive in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

and the Headquarters of the 14th Division at Pont de Nieppe during the visit of

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

and

the Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

on 2 December 1914.

Early life

Haymes was born on 31 December 1870 at

Hopesay Hopesay is a small village, and civil parishes in England, civil parish, in south Shropshire, England. The population of the parish at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 561. The name 'Hopesay' derives from "Hope de Say", the vall ...

in Shropshire, England, the son of Jane Henrietta Martha Haymes and the Reverend Robert Evered Haymes. He was educated at

Bedford Modern School Bedford Modern School (often called BMS or simply Modern) is a Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference independent school in Bedford, England. The school has its origins in Bedford Charity, The Harpur Trust, born from the financial endowme ...

, the

Oxford Military College Oxford Military College was an all-male private boarding school and military academy in Cowley, Oxford, England, from 1876 to 1896. The military college opened on 7 September 1876. Prince George, Duke of Cambridge was the patron of the Oxfo ...

and the

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of Officer (armed forces), commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers o ...

Army service

He entered the army in 1891 with a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

, becoming Captain in 1899, an instructor in Gunnery (1905–09), Adjutant (1909–11) and Lieutenant-Colonel (1917). He served in the Native Mountain Artillery, NW Frontier, India (1897–1903) and between 1911 and 1914 Haymes was second in command of the Malay States Guides. During

, Haymes went to France in command of the 6th Siege Battery (September 1914). He took part in the

First Battle of Ypres The First Battle of Ypres (, , – was a battle of the First World War, fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front around Ypres, in West Flanders, Belgium. The battle was part of the First Battle of Flanders, in which German A ...

(October–November 1914) and the

(10 March 1915). He was one of the first to establish an OP in the

. After the Battle of Neuve Chapelle Haymes was by

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

by Sir Arthur Holland KCB KCMG DSO MVO (then Brigadier General 8th Division) and in June 1915 he was made a Companion of the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

. In 1915, he was badly wounded in the foot while in command of the 6th Siege Battery and

twice. Haymes was forced to retire in 1919 on account of wounds. A collection of photographs taken by Haymes during

are now held at the

providing a unique insight into the early days of World War I. His photographs include one of the first 9.2-inch

howitzer The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...

s (Mother) to arrive in

; the Headquarters of the 14th Division, Pont de Nieppe during the visit of

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

and

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...

on 2 December 1914; the Headquarters of the 1st Cavalry Brigade under

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Sir Henry de Beauvoir De Lisle KCB KCMG DSO in November 1914; and the 6th Siege Battery in action registering its guns for the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915.

Family life

Haymes married in 1897 in Chertsey, Surrey to Minnie Kathleen Ellis with whom he had three sons and two daughters. A son, Richard Arthur Leycester Haymes, was killed in action in Egypt in 1941 while serving as a lieutenant. He was age 26 at the time of his death. Haymes died in Surrey on 16 May 1942.England BMD Indexes

References

External links

Collection of Lt. Col R. L. Haymes at the Imperial War Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haymes, Robert Leycester 1870 births 1942 deaths People educated at Bedford Modern School Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Royal Artillery officers British colonial army officers British Army personnel of World War I