Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From Australian Remembrance Army

Gunner Robert Samuel Pye, an Australian Boer War and World War One veteran who was wounded in action at Gallipoli, is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now marked with a plaque recognising their service for Australia.

We unveiled his plaque in Lutwyche Cemetery on 23 September 2023, along with a further 300 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans located in Anzac Portion 8:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page

Robert Samuel Pye was born in 1875 in Beechworth, Victoria, to Daniel and Annie Pye (née Collins). He served with the 1st Western Australian Mounted Infantry during the Boer War. The unit was raised in October 1899 and trained at Karrakatta Camp before sailing for South Africa aboard the S.S. Medic on 7 November 1899 under the command of Major Hatherly G. Moor. Initially attached to the Australian Regiment in the Cape Colony, the 1st WAMI later saw sustained combat from February 1900, taking part in actions at Slingersfontein, W.A. Hill, Vet River, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Diamond Hill. The contingent subsequently operated across the Transvaal and Orange Free State before returning to Australia in December 1900, having suffered six killed and 26 wounded, and earning several gallantry awards.

Robert Samuel Pye enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Brisbane, Queensland, on 21 August 1914, aged 38, stating his occupation as a wharf labourer. He served as a trooper with the 2nd Light Horse Regiment before later transferring to artillery. He embarked for overseas service in September 1914 and joined the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, serving at Gallipoli where he was wounded twice in 1915, including a serious head wound. He was invalided to England and treated in military hospitals before returning to active service in Egypt and later on the Western Front in France, where he experienced further hospitalisations for illness and injury.

Pye continued to serve until 1917, when ongoing health issues led to his return to Australia aboard the Ayrshire. He was medically discharged from the AIF in Brisbane on 1 September 1917 as unfit for further service, with his disability recorded as overage.
Following his return to Australia, he married Rosetta Mary Phipps in Queensland on 12 January 1918. The couple are recorded as living in Brisbane where Samuel worked as a storeman.

Gunner Robert Samuel Pye died on 15 May 1953, aged 78, and was buried in Anzac Portion 8, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. His wife Rosetta died on 2 January 1968 and was buried at Nudgee Cemetery and Crematorium, Brisbane. They had no children.

After decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia — ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity and dignity have now been restored.

We have remembered him.
Lest We Forget.