Remembering Captain Robert Salter of the Leeds Rifles lost 100 years ago

25/8/2016

Captain Robert Salter was a highly regarded Pudsey man and someone who many of the new volunteers of 1914 looked up to.
Educated at Fulneck school, his father and uncle owned Salters & Salters - the successful boot manufacturers based on Cemetery Road next door to what became Wilkinson & Warburton. He was also the nephew of Alderman Joseph Huggan, who as Mayor had brought the tram system to Pudsey town centre.
On August 26th 1916 during the Battle of the Somme, Robert led his section of the 7thBattalion Leeds Rifles in a charge across no-mans land from which he didn’t return.“Roddie” is buried at Lonsdale Cemetery, Authuille near Thiepval. He is also named on the family grave in Pudsey Cemetery.
Sadly his cousin Thomas Huggan was killed on an RFC training flight in 1917, he is buried in the family tomb in Pudsey Cemetery.

7 Comments

Jeremy Ingpen

23/1/2017 02:44:48 pm

Thank you for this tribute to my grandmother's first cousins.

Gwen Salter

17/7/2018 01:23:45 am

Hello, my grandfather was Harry T. Salter (I think his brother was Capt. Robert Salter. Can you email me (above) and we can see if we are related?

Caron Robinson

21/7/2018 06:33:42 pm

Hello Gwen. My husband (Guy) is descended from The Salter family in Pudsey. His paternal grandmother is Beatrice Annie Salter (she married a Robinson - he was a right one!) We found Annie and one of her son’s grave in Scarborough several months ago. Beatrice Annie’s parents were Joseph Salter and Hannah Scales. Both incredibly important families in the Pudsey area as you probably know. I have masses of info / certificates / photos / some of their personal possessions but we’re away until the middle of August - I’ll get my thoughts together as the family was pretty big and try to put the picture together! Best wishes, Caron

Caron Robinson

12/8/2018 07:09:42 pm

Hi Gwen, I can’t email you unfortunately as email addresses are not
published on line ... Robert Salter b 1817 was one of 11 children, and was married 3 times. His 2nd marriage was to Sarah Buchroyds (they had 2 sons Robert and Joseph). Joseph married Hannah Scales (Hannah’s father was William Dibb Scales - v influential and wealthy). Joseph and Hannah had 3 children - Clara, Alice and Beatrice Annie. Beatrice is my husband’s paternal grandmother - I have masses of photos, some of her belongings and a few other bits of interest. The family seemed to have a ‘thing’ about using family surnames as Christian names ... so the name Salter is still in use. Robert Salter’s second marriage was to Mary Ann Fearn - they had 2 children (but I think there may be more somewhere) one of which was Charles Sanders Slater who married Sarah Huggan. The Robert Salter killed in action was one of their children. Does this fit with your findings? Our branch of The Salters moved to the Scarborough and Filey area at some point. Sorry we can’t communicate in person, but I’ll drop a note to someone somewhere and see if they can pass the message on. Best wishes, Caron

Caron Robinson

6/9/2017 05:31:41 pm

Thank you. The Salter family is my husband's family line. A wonderful tribute.

Gwen Salter

17/7/2018 12:15:05 am

Hello, can you please tell me if Robert had a brother (Harry T. Salter.) Harry was my paternal grandfather and he was raised in Pudsey and I know he had several brothers. Thank you for any info you may have.

Andy Salter

5/6/2022 03:16:51 pm

Hi Caron,
Gwen, I assume it is you with whom I have emailed regarding Harry Townend Salter.

I stumbled over Roberts’s memorial whilst looking for a reference for Thomas Henry Salter 1855.

Caron, I can only find 8 brothers and sisters for Robert b 1817, do you have the names?
My hunting has turned up a Mary Anna Jecks as his second wife, you seem to be closer in the family line so you may have better information.

My line:- John Salter 1929 – Herbert 1888 – (Harry T brother) – Willie 1858 – Benjamin 1829 – William Salter 1781 who married Dorothy Wade in 1806 she was Robert Salter’s 1817 mother, he married Sarah, I have it as Buckroyd, but again you may be correct, who was Robert’s 1890 great grandmother.
All the best
Andy

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Remembering Captain Robert Salter of the Leeds Rifles lost 100 years ago

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