MARSH, Robert
| Service Numbers: | 942, 1827 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 59th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1892 |
| Home Town: | Kangaroo Flat, Greater Bendigo, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 1 March 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial Villers-Bretonneux, Departement de la Somme, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bendigo Great War Roll of Honor, Kangaroo Flat Fire Brigade WW1 Roll of Honour, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 942, 7th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 942, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne | |
| 19 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 942, 7th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 4 Aug 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 942, 7th Infantry Battalion, RTA per HMT "Port Lincoln". | |
| 29 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 1827, 29th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Demosthenes embarkation_ship_number: A64 public_note: '' | |
| 29 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 1827, 29th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Demosthenes, Melbourne | |
| 11 Dec 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1827, 29th Infantry Battalion | |
| 29 Aug 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 59th Infantry Battalion | |
| 4 Jan 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 59th Infantry Battalion | |
| 1 Mar 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 1827, 59th Infantry Battalion, The Outpost Villages - German Withdrawal to Hindenburg Line, KIA - no details | |
| 1 Mar 1917: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 1827, 59th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1827 awm_unit: 59th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1917-03-01 | |
| 1 Mar 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 1827, 59th Infantry Battalion, The Outpost Villages - German Withdrawal to Hindenburg Line, KIA |
Help us honour Robert Marsh's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Wight
Robert Marsh initially enlisted 18 August 1914 in the 7th Btn at Bendigo Vic. He didn't go to Gallipoli and eventually RTA 4 August 1915 (with VD).
He re-enlisted at Balaclava, Vic. and was given new SN 1827 (29th Btn), later transferring to the 59th Btn.
Biography contributed by Robert Wight
Robert Marsh did not go to Gallipoli and eventually RTA 4 August 1915 (with VD).
He re-enlisted at Balaclava, Vic. on 11 December 1915 and was given new SN 1827 (29th Btn), later transferring to the 59th Btn.
Biography contributed by Robert Wight
Unit Diary of 59th Btn places them in the front line at Flers at the time of Robert Marsh's death.
Biography contributed by Larna Malone
Robert Marsh was born in Melbourne. He had no surviving relatives and listed a Friend, Miss Katie Pomeroy, of Balaclava., Vic., as his Next-of-Kin. He described his occupation as Labourer/tram conductor/Miner, and lived in Kangaroo Flat. He was 22 years old, and had no previous military service. He was amongst the early volunteers for the Expeditionary Force, enlisting on 18.8.14. The following day he left Bendigo for the Broadmeadows Camp. He was allotted Service no. 942 and appointed to ‘H’ Company, 7th Battalion.
The 7th Battalion left Broadmeadows Camp on 18 October, 1914, and embarked for service overseas on board HMAT ‘Hororata’. Arriving in Egypt the battalion moved into camp at Mena, at the foot of the pyramids. (6/12/14)
In January, 1915, the Australian force was re-organized. In the 7th Battalion ‘G’ and ‘H’ Companies joined to form the new ‘D’ Company. This meant that all the men from Northern Victoria were together in one Company.
The 7th Battalion was part of the force which landed at Anzac Cove on 25th April, 1915. Before the battalion left Egypt Robert Marsh was attached to the Transport section. The 7th Battalion Transport Details and the Machine Gun section horses embarked on S.S. Novian. The terrain of Anzac Cove was unsuitable for horses, so the 7th Battalion Transport Details did not disembark and were still on board the Novian when she returned to Egypt (14/5/15). The transport section spent the next months in a frustrating separation from the remainder of the battalion.
Robert Marsh was classified as Sick on 26/7/15 and RTA M.U. on 4/8/15.
He Re-enlisted in Balaclava, Vic., on 11/12/15 and was appointed to 2nd Rft / 29th Battalion, with the new service no. 1827. He was Appointed to 2nd Anzac Cyclists Battalion; Transferred to 59th Battalion (29/8/16); and was Appointed Lance Corporal (4/1/17). He was KIA on 1/3/17.
His name was Commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.
“The First Lot. 7th Battalion. The first men of the Bendigo district to volunteer for service in the First World War.”: Larna Malone
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