Ypres, Menin Gate Memorial.

Although Robert is recorded on the Commonwealth Graves website as living in N Skelton, his name appears on the Skelton War Memorial.

Robert's Battalion were part of the 32nd Brigade, 11th (Northern) Division.
At the time of his death they were involved in the Flanders Offensive, the Battle of Ypres [Wipers to the British lads].
The battle began with a huge barrage of Allied artillery. This bombardment warned the Germans of the coming attack, but it also turned the battlefield into a mess of craters. Heavy rains in August then transformed the area into a sea of mud. The offensive continued regardless until November with drastic losses of life. In this Battle. commonly called "Passchendaele" many men disappeared amidst the shells, machine gun bullets and deep mud.
Presumably Robert's body was never found and he is remembered only on the Menin Gate.