PENROSE, Robert Mowforth
| Service Number: | 3559 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 July 1915, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 49th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Bolton, England, 1896 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Ship's Steward |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Messines, Belgium, 7 June 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, East Brisbane War Memorial, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient) |
World War 1 Service
| 3 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Brisbane, Queensland | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Oct 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3559, 9th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Warilda embarkation_ship_number: A69 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Oct 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3559, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Warilda, Brisbane | |
| 7 Jun 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 49th Infantry Battalion, Battle of Messines |
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Robert was the second of seven children. His parents were Thomas and Margaret Penrose. He was born in Bolton, England, in 1896 and his family moved to Brisbane in 1911. He enlisted on 3 July 1915. His service number was 3559. Robert left on the HMAT Warialda on 5 October 1915. After going to Egypt he arrived in Marseilles, France, on the Arcadian on 12 June 1916. Robert was killed at Messines on 7 June 1917. His body was never recovered. He has no grave but his name is on the Menin Gate Memorial. The Red Cross investigated his death and two conflicting statements were made by men in his Battalion. One said he was shot in the head. The other said he was shot in the chest and died soon after asking for some water.
Because there was no body his mother always believed he would return home. She never locked the front door in case he came back when they were out or when they were sleeping at night. His older sister died in 1919 and the family story was that she died from grief over Bob's death.
"PENROSE.- Killed in action, 7th June, 1917, Private Robert Mowforth Penrose, late Naval Reserve, aged 21 years 2 months, dearly loved eldest son of Thomas and Margaret Penrose, Oxford street, Thompson Estate, South Brisbane. His country called, he answered. At rest." - from the Brisbane Telegraph 13 Jul 1917 (nla.gov.au)
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