World War One hero Isaac Robinson never told of bravery

ChronicleLive.co.uk: World War One hero Isaac Robinson never told of bravery
HIS bravery was only matched by his modesty.

Curling with age, cuttings from the Chronicle tell the story of Isaac Robinson’s heroism.

But the man himself never spoke of his courage and the first his family knew of his war-time heroics was when they came across the cuttings following his death.

They were found under inches of dust in a Tyneside loft.

Mr Robinson’s family didn’t know their great grandfather was a war hero until they made the find.

After dusting down the newspapers from 1918, Heather Cowan discovered her grandfather was twice awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his bravery and quick thinking.

Mr Robinson, whose body was peppered with shrapnel, captured 150 prisoners when all of his officers had been killed or wounded during the First World War.

And Heather, of the Vigo Estate, Birtley, Gateshead, made the remarkable discovery as she cleared out her late dad’s belongings.

The 66-year-old said: “I didn’t have a clue that my grandad had been such a hero. My dad used to tell us stories about him but we had no idea that he was so brave during the war. It’s remarkable to think that after all this time we have found out what a difference our grandad did during the war.

“When my dad died I was clearing out this belongings and I just came across some of my grandad’s things.

“I couldn’t believe it when I saw them. I showed my sons and they couldn’t believe it either.

“We are so proud of what he did and I’m so proud to be able to call him my grandad.”

Mr Robinson was a member of the 1st Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers.

Since the war ended he had been almost continuously in and out of hospital having shrapnel removed from his body.

Ike, as he was known, was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. On one occasion, when all the officers of his company had been killed or wounded, he took command.

Although his body had been peppered with shrapnel and he could hardly move, he continued to shout orders out to his men until some German soldiers, amazed at his remarkable courage, carried him away.

After nine months in a German prison camp he returned home where he began his ordeal to have the shrapnel removed. He later died of ammonia poisoning in 1939.

When Heather’s dad Bob died 20 years ago, she stored all of this belongings, including the cuttings, in her attic.

Heather added: “We were having a bit of a clear-out and I came across them. I showed them to my son and he said they shouldn’t be hidden away.

“I think we are going to take them to the museum at Alnwick Castle to see if they would like to display them. Other people need to know what he did.”