Died
6th January 1918
Sources
North Western Daily Mail
The Barrow News
Kitchener’s Men John Hutton 2008
Place
Walks
Barrow 2 point 23
Themes
Major Robert Wilson Balfour
29 May 2013
Where is the grave?
Very close to the crematorium at the northern end.
Walk past the back of the crematorium towards the Catholic Chapel of Rest. Major Balfour is commemorated on a large memorial on the right.
North Western Daily Mail, Wednesday January 9 1918:Barrow Officer’s Death in France
Major R.W. Balfour
We regret to learn of the death in France of Major R. W. Balfour, of the Lancashire and Cheshire Royal Garrison Artillery. He belonged to the R.G.A. prior to the outbreak of war, at which time he was a lieutenant, and has been on active service ever since. He proved a very able officer, and soon gained promotion. He appears to have suffered from an abdominal complaint for which he had undergone an operation, and died in hospital. His brother, Lieut-Col. G Balfour, of the King’s Own, has also been on active service since August 1914. The deceased officer was only 29 years of age, and the son of the late Mr. Robert Balfour, J.P., Chetwynde, Barrow.
Major R. W. Balfour is buried in Grevillers British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. He was the son of Robert and Sarah Ann Balfour, of Barrow-in-Furness. (CWGC)
The brother, Lieut-Col. G Balfour, was by this time Commanding Officer of the 4th King’s Own Lancaster Regt. (See Kitchener’s Men John Hutton 2008)
Keith Johnson adds: Robert was the second son of Robert Balfour, the town’s leading Coal Merchant. Robert was employed in the Borough Engineer’s Department and was a lieutenant in the Territorials before the war. He enlisted in the regular army at the outbreak of war, despite having a poor constitution. Plagued with a stomach complaint throughout his service, he eventually had to undergo surgery whilst serving on the Western Front. After initially improving, he relapsed and died in hospital as a result of post-operative complications.
The Barrow News 21 June 1919, reported:
The Barrow News, 21 June 1919A Home Command
It is stated that Lieut.-Col. G. B. Balfour, D.S.O., of Barrow, has been placed in command of the Ripon demobilisation camp. This important change appears to have been given to Lieut.-Col. Balfour when he had completed a lengthy period of leave, after recovering from an attack of pneumonia. He had served many years as an officer in the local battalion of the King’s Own, and from May, 1915, he was out in France with the local boys until in the final stages of the war, when he had command of the battalion, and influenza and pneumonia took him away from the battle zone, just prior to the armistice being signed.
