Robert Harvey was born at 4 Gower Street, Burslem, Staffordshire on the 14.10.1890 to parents William Henry Harvey born c.1865 in Fenton, Staffordshire and Elizabeth nee Harrison born c1866 at Hanley, Staffordshire. William and Elizabeth were married on 6th December 1886 at Hanley.

The 1901 Census shows Robert as a 10 year old living with his family at 17 Copeland Street, Burslem. His father William Henry Harvey is a 36 year old Potters Presser, his mother ‘Lizzie’ aged 35 is likely home duties. He has 2 brothers, William Henry Harvey born 1888 in Hanley, Thomas Harvey born 1893 in Burslem and 2 sisters, Elizabeth Harvey born 1898 in Hanley twinned with Minnie who died as an infant in 1898 and Lucy Harvey born 1887 in Hanley. 

Their mother Elizabeth Harvey died on the 21st June 1901 aged 33 of Tuberculosis at 17 Copeland Street, Burslem. 

William Henry Harvey remarried Mary Emma Christie nee Wharton in 1902 at Burslem, St John Church. Mary was born 29th June 1862, registered at Wolstanton, Staffordshire. 

Mary Emma Wharton was previously married to Frederick Edward Christie on 23.12.1883 at Burslem but Frederick died in 1901.

The 1911 Census shows us that Robert is a 19 year old single man employed as a Hollowware Presser living at 11 Enoch Street, Burslem with his blended family consisting of his father William Henry Harvey aged 46 a Hollowware Presser, his Step Mother Mary Emma Harvey aged 48 on home duties. John Frederick Christie  (step brother) aged 26 employed as a Hollowware Presser born Tunstall, William Henry Harvey (brother) aged 21 a Hollowware Presser born Cobridge, George Henry Christie (step brother) 18 year old employed as a Hollowware Presser born Burslem, Thomas Harvey (brother) aged 17 a Potters Goldman born Cobridge, William Christie (step brother) 16 year old employed as a Hollowware Presser born Burslem, Maud Elizabeth Christie (step sister ) aged 14 on home duties born at Burslem, Harold Christie 12 year old ( step brother) born Burslem in school and Arthur James Christie (step brother) aged 10 born Burslem in School.

Robert's father William Henry Harvey died aged 47 in 1912 at Burslem. In July of 1918 Mary Emma Harvey married again to a Mr John Shaw, a Miner. The 1921 Census shows them living at 91 Liverpool Road, Burslem. John Shaw died on the 22nd January 1931 aged 68 at Turnhurst Hospital.

The 1939 Register shows Mary Emma Shaw, aged 77, living at 5 Sneyd Street, Cobridge and is employed in a Pottery Warehouse. She was living with Mary A Christie (45) and Elsie Christie (24). Step mother Mary Emma Shaw died aged 81 in 1943 at the London Road Hospital, Stoke On Trent.

Robert served initially with the 8th Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment as Private 17415 but at some stage was transferred to the 2nd Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment as Private 40360. He entered France on the 18th July 1915 and was wounded in 1916 entitling him to wear a wound stripe from the 15th August 1916. 

He was initially reported missing but later confirmed killed in action on the 28th April 1917. On this date the 2nd Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment were involved in British attacks on German Lines near Arras, specifically Farbus Point-Du Jour near Roclincourt. The South Staffs had advanced into German positions but the attack ultimately failed due to other regiments not being able to secure the right flanks so all units retreated to their starting positions. On this day the South Staffs lost 186 men, killed, wounded and missing.

In April of 1917 Robert married May Vaughan at the Smallthorne St Saviour Church, that very month he was killed in action.

The Staffordshire Sentinel article of the 7th August 1916 informs of him being wounded and an article of the 14th June 1917 reports of him being missing in action. 

Pte. R. Harvey, North Staffs. Regiment, son of Mrs. M. E. Harvey, of 21, Furnival-Street, Cobridge, has been wounded. He was employed by Messrs. Doulton, Burslem, before he enlisted.

Robert had earned the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

He is remembered on the Royal Doulton Kilngate Memorial and the Arras Memorial Bay 6.

His wife May was awarded a widows pension of 13 shilling and 9 pennies from 31st December 1917. Her given address being 26 Nettlebank, Smallthorne.

The 1921 Census shows widowed May Harvey as an Out of Work Warehouse woman for Johnson & Sons Tile Works Tunstall living at 28 Nettlebank,Smallthorne, Staffs with her Brother Joseph (34) a miner at Wolstanton Colliery, his wife Betsy (31), a Ware Cleaner and their children Samuel (13), Alfred (11) and Gladys (8) . 

The 1939 register sees that May Harvey nee Vaughan remarried Thomas Bourne (born 19.12.1903) a Glost Placer in 1933 and they lived close to her brother at 352 Hanley Road, Nettlebank, Smallthorne. 

Robert Harvey’s step brother George Henry Christie served as 25662 Lance Corporal, Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry earning the British War Medal and Victory Medal. His pension card reveals an address of 249 Sneyd St, Cobridge. He was discharged to the reserves on the 5th February 1919. We also see that he spent a couple of admissions to Catterick Hospital in 1918 having tendon surgery. 

His younger step brother Harold Christie also served as Private 49560 South Staffordshire Regiment earning the British War Medal and Victory Medal. He enlisted on the 1st July 1916 aged 18 with an address of 4 Albert Place, Cobridge and later 91 Liverpool Street, Burslem. His trade on enlistment was Waggoner but on discharge to the reserves is shown as Miner.

SOURCES

W.H Harvey Eliza Harrison: FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

Robert Harvey: FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.12764

1901 Source Citation Class: RG13; Piece: 2597; Folio: 99; Page: 28

E. Harvey death https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=oIJMmo7HWWxqtYZt8AQK7g&scan=1 

W.H Harvey marriage: https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=AtyjW7gXfP01NMtFmCz4mg&scan=1

1911 The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911

W.H Harvey death https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=8vKp3kuQrbvWAflExwIgSA&scan=1

Emma Harvey marriage John Shaw:  https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=CQx0WFTfGC5rUS1Is1hH4Q&scan=1

Military-Genealogy.com, comp. UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.

https://uk.forceswarrecords.com/file/668858915?terms=40360%2Charvey 

https://uk.forceswarrecords.com/record/642860812/r-harvey-wwi-joint-war-organisation-enquiries-missing-wounded-and-dead-personnel-1914-1918 

https://uk.forceswarrecords.com/sub-image/619639957/harvey-robert-uk-british-army-registers-of-soldiers-effects-1901-1929?terms=40360%2Charvey 

https://uk.forceswarrecords.com/image/324988191/harvey-robert-page-57-uk-wwi-british-army-medal-roll-index-cards-1914-1920?terms=40360%2Charvey 

WAR DIARY - ANCESTRY -Piece 1362/1-4: 6 Infantry Brigade: 2 Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment (1914 Aug - 1919 Apr) Piece Number 1362. 

Robert Harvey and May Vaughan marriage 1917. General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 6b; Page: 441

May Harvey 1921 The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; 1921 Census Returns; Reference: RG 15/12764, ED 10, Sch 29; Book: 

May Vaughan marriage Thomas Bourne General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 6b; Page: 375

The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1939 Register; Reference: RG 101/5279C

Sentinel Newspaper 07.08.1916 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000347/19160807/045/0002 

Sentinel Newspaper 04.06.1917, 23.01.1931

George Henry Christie: https://uk.forceswarrecords.com/image/324688248/christie-george-h-page-1-uk-wwi-british-army-medal-roll-index-cards-1914-1920?terms=25662%2Cchristie

Harold Christie: https://uk.forceswarrecords.com/image/324689983/christie-harold-page-4-uk-wwi-british-army-medal-roll-index-cards-1914-1920?terms=49560%2Cchristie

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/785723/robert-harvey/