ROBINSON, Alexander James
| Service Numbers: | 272, 252 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 20th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Newtown, New South Wales, Australia, 24 June 1885 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Engineers Labourer |
| Died: | Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia, 9 April 1957, aged 71 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Newtown Superior Public School Great War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 272, 1st Infantry Battalion, Naval and Military Forces - Special Tropical Corps | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Aug 1914: | Embarked Private, 272, 1st Infantry Battalion, Naval and Military Forces - Special Tropical Corps, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
| 4 Mar 1915: | Discharged Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Forces (New Guinea 1914), 272 | |
| 8 Mar 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, 252, 20th Infantry Battalion | |
| 25 Jun 1915: | Embarked Corporal, 252, 20th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Aug 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, 252, On Gallipoli | |
| 31 Aug 1916: | Promoted Sergeant, 20th Infantry Battalion | |
| 20 Sep 1917: | Wounded Sergeant | |
| 20 Sep 1917: | Honoured Military Medal, Menin Road Campaign |
Short History
Alexander was born in Newtown NSW, on 24th June 1885, the son of Alexander Robinson and his wife Emma, nee Redmond.
He joined the Royal Navy in Portsmouth as a stoker aboard the ROYAL ARTHUR on 27th June 1903 and was discharged at own request in Sydney on 31st December 1903.
On enlistment in the AN&MEF on 11th August 1914 he stated that he was single and an engineers labourer. He was posted to B Company. He returned from Rabaul and was discharged on 4th March 1915 having completed 206 days service.
Three days later, on 8th March he joined the A Company, 20th Battalion, AIF and departed Sydney aboard the CERAMIC for Suez. He departed Alexandria on 16th August 1915 aboard the SATURIA, arriving Lemnos on 21st August, then on Gallipoli on 22nd. With his battalion, he withdrew from Gallipoli on 20th December, eventually arriving back in Alexandria on 9th Jan 1916
The Battalion moved to Marseilles, France in March 1916, and Alexander was gassed on 1st August 1916, not rejoining his unit until 24th August. On 31st August he was promoted sergeant and on 26th November was evacuated to England suffering from chronic rheumatism.
He rejoined his unit in France on 9th August 1917 and received a gunshot wound to the head and legs on 20th September 1917. For his actions on that hay he received the Military Medal (MM) the citation reading: “At Hanebeke Wood on 20 September 1917 this NCO throughout the attack displayed great initiative and determination. After gaining the Battalions objectives he was badly wounded, but refused to be taken back. He had shrapnel bullets through his leg above the knee. In the conditions he carried on for over an hour, moving about and assisting greatly in the work of consolidation until badly wounded a second time, this time he sustained a shattered arm and he was carried out. His extraordinary courage and devotion to duty was a magnificent example and inspire all those who came in contact with him.”
Alexander left England on 10th March 1918 aboard the DURHAM CASTLE, transferring to the ORONTES in Cape Town, eventually arriving in Sydney on 12th May 1918. He was discharged as medically unfit on 12th November 1918, the day after the Armistice.
In 1920 Alexander married Alice Dorothy Adamas and took possession of a soldiers settlement block at Yenda, NSW. He died at Goulburn on 9th April 1957.
Submitted 2 January 2026 by Michael White