206388 Able Sea. Stanley Riseborough Royal Naval Division Nelson Battalion from:Gateshead (d.10th Aug 1917) My great uncle, Stanley Riseborough was often talked about in my youth by my two great aunts, who died only about 20 years ago.
Stan was an insurance agent and enlisted in the Royal Navy to go to sea.He was 31 years old and was attached to the 6th battalion RND on 4/11/1915.
He was then drafted from 7th Reserve Battalion at Blandford to 189 Brigade Machine Gun Company and embarked on SS "Onward" to France. After being wounded on 26.2.1917 he was invalided to England by HMS"Formosa" eventually going on leave to Gateshead from 30.04.1917 until 09.05.1917. On 20.06.1917 he was drafted to Nelson Battalion from 4th Reserve Battalion at Blandford and joined the Battalion on 22.07.1917.
He was killed in action on 10.08.1917 after only 19 days in his second tour of France. He was 33 years old. He is buried in a peaceful place near to where he fell. He was regarded by everyone as a "canny man" with a great sense of fun. We have all his postcards he sent from Blandford after he was wounded and they make poignant reading as he describes "Peace, perfect peace"
His brother Leith graduated from Kings College Durham and was captured in 1914 and escaped twice but was recaptured. His account of his time as a prisoner-of-war is now with the Imperial War Museum in their archives.
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