Barrie Bertram, a member of the Channel Islands Great War Study Group, has written to us seeking information about Horace Robert, or Robert Horace Champion, who was born in Jersey on 15 October, 1891, and who was killed in action in October, 1918.

At American war cemeteries, the end of each day is marked by the playing of ‘Taps’, a bugle call that can be likened in its purpose to the British “Last Post” and “Sunset”.

This occurs at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery to the northwest of the French fortress city of Verdun, and although it may seem incongruous if one has not been there, the live bugler has long since been replaced by a recording, with loudspeakers strategically concealed in trees and other vantage points.

Yet, the melancholy notes effectively carry across the white headstones of more than 14,000 American Great War dead, and they are a fitting daily tribute to these men who came to serve in France from every state of the USA.

And from Jersey too! For, in Block D, Row 25, Grave 25, there is one Sergeant Horace Robert Champion who served with the 127th Infantry Regiment that formed part of the 32nd US Division, and who was killed in action on 10 October, 1918, during the fierce fighting being experience by the American Expeditionary Force a month before the Armistice and the cessation of hostilities.

His entry in the American Battlefield Monuments Commission database records that he was from New Jersey. However, thanks to recent research into the early-1919 issues of the Jersey Evening Post, a reference to his fate was rediscovered, including a comment from his grieving family that he had been in the United States for some six years.

Horace Robert, or Robert Horace according to St Helier’s baptism records, was born on 15 October, 1891 to William Stephen Champion and Louisa Jane Champion (née de la Haye) who lived at 37 Town Mills, his father being a coal merchant. But, there is a small twist in the tale.

Having been employed in civilian life in Jersey as a baker, he joined the Royal Navy as a Boy, 2nd Class on 1 October, 1907, stating his year of birth as 1890, given the service number 239759, and committing to serve until his birthday in 1920.
However, as can be seen, he never reached that date, since on 5 August, 1912 he was reported as having gone ‘on the run’ from the RN while serving aboard the cruiser HMS Venus, having risen to the rate of Able-Bodied Seaman.

The act of going ‘on the run’ was in fact desertion, and appears out of character even though Horace had previously ‘enjoyed’ a 14-day stay in the cells while serving on HMS Duncan, a pre-Dreadnought battleship. Given that 5 August was a Monday, he presumably had a few days start, and as HMS Venus was based at Portsmouth, it would not have been difficult to find a US bound ship leaving Southampton for example.

It would be interesting to discover if there are letters of his or photographs that exist today, and it is hoped that if any relatives of his are still in Jersey, they could provide further background material on Horace’s life.

Any information can be e-mnailed to the group at www.greatwarci.net or direct to Barrie at bhbertram@btinternet.com