Dedicated to the memory of all the men and women of the Bridgnorth area who died during the two World Wars.

Richard Gittins (1889 - 1916)

Richard Gittins was born at Chelmarsh in 1889 and baptised at the parish church there on 17th February. He was the son of Thomas Gittins, a farmer, and his wife, Mary Purnell. By 1901 the family had moved to Kings Nordley.

After he left school, Richard worked as a farm labourer. He volunteered early in the war and served as a sapper with the 115th Railway Company of the Royal Engineers. This unit built and maintained the military railways used to transport troops and materiel to the battlefields.

Richard went to France in September 1915 but moved on to Egypt. He died on 4th December, 1916 - possibly of natural causes (although a note on his medal card suggests his death may have been accidental). He is buried in Kantara War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt. Kantara was at the start of the railway line which was being built towards Sinai and Palestine. It is possible that Richard was working on this project.

Sapper Richard Gittins, 88225, was awarded the Victory and British War Medals and the 1915 Star.

This memorial has mostly been compiled from official sources. It would be good to be able to expand it with more personal material - memories, stories, photos, etc. If you have any suitable material or any corrections please contact Greg. For news of updates follow @BridgnorthHeros on Twitter.