David George Horobin, known as George, was born in East Wickham in 1897. His parents, Frederick and Jane (nee Exall) had married on 29th July 1883 in Plumstead. They had moved to Orchard Cottage in Wickham Lane by 1901 and this was the family home until at least after the end of the war.
George’s father, Frederick, was illiterate and signed his marriage certificate with an ‘X’. He worked as a farm labourer, and George was working as a nurseryman by the age of 14, on one of the many nurseries of the area, either growing flowers or fresh fruit, probably for transport to the London markets.
George had five brothers and sisters. In 1911 one of his brothers had left home, one brother was working as a general labourer and his older sister as a domestic housemaid. The two youngest children were still at school. When he was around 18 years old, George’s mother died.
He enlisted at Woolwich and was originally attached as Private to the 4th Royal West Surrey Regiment with a service number of 5184. However, he was eventually transferred to the 1st/6th London Regiment who were also known as the Rifles. Upon joining the Rifles he was given a new service number 6444. The Rifles were a controversial regiment to be attached to. Each Battalion was its own Territorial Force also each Battalion was regarded as an independent Corps in its own right.
Unfortunately, we do not at what stage in the war Horobin transferred from the Royal West Surrey Regiment to the London Rifles. However, we know he died on the 22nd of October 1916. His formation was renamed 140 Brigade of the 47th (2nd London) on the 11th May 1915 which means some of his movements can be traced. Therefore, it is possible that David would have fought at the Battle of Aubers Ridge, Festubert, Loos and much more likely the Somme. In the later stages of the war David’s Division’s Chief of Staff was acting Lieutenant-Colonel Bernard Montgomery, who went on to become the famous General of the “Desert Rats” in the Second World War.
In his will, written on the 17th September 1916, David left all his belongings to his father Frederick Horobin. He died a month after writing his will. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) memorial.
The Menin Gate memorial is the largest of four which commemorate the missing soldiers in the Ypres Salient. The Menin Gate memorial was chosen as it was the site where many thousands of men passed through to reach the Ypres battlefield. The Memorial contains over 54, 000 men and Officers who have no known grave.
This image is of the panel commemorating the missing from Horobin’s regiment; his name can be seen on this image (4th name from the bottom).
Commemorated
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