PURTLE, Robert
| Service Number: | 457 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 October 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 42nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, 9 June 1876 |
| Home Town: | Condamine, Western Downs, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Telephone linesman |
| Died: | Sandgate, Queensland, Australia, 8 March 1951, aged 74 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Anzac Portion 8, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Oct 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 457, 42nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Jun 1916: | Involvement Private, 457, 42nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Borda embarkation_ship_number: A30 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Jun 1916: | Embarked Private, 457, 42nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Borda, Sydney | |
| 22 Mar 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 457, 42nd Infantry Battalion, 1st MD, Medically discharged, wounding |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Remembrance Army
Driver Robert Purtle (aka Robert Purtel), service number 457, was an Australian World War One veteran and among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now marked with plaques in recognition of their service for Australia.
We unveiled his plaque 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, in Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page
Robert Purtle was born on 9 June 1876 in Ipswich, Queensland, to Thomas Purtle and Bridget Purtle (née Sweeney). He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Brisbane on 27 October 1915, aged 36. He gave his occupation as telephone linesman and nominated his brother, William Purtle of Condamine, Queensland, as his next of kin. On 5 June 1916, he embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, aboard HMAT Borda with the 42nd Battalion for overseas service.
In November 1916, he proceeded from England to France for active service. While serving in France in July 1917, he sustained a gunshot wound to the shoulder and was subsequently invalided to England for treatment. The wound proved severe and, in December 1917, he was repatriated to Australia aboard HT Runic, arriving in February 1918. He was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force the following month.
Driver Robert Purtle died on 8 March 1951, aged 74, and was buried in Anzac Portion 8, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. At the time of his death, his address was recorded as Rainbow Street, Sandgate, Brisbane. His funeral notice does not record a wife or 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
Click images to start slideshow.