Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK

Died on this date - 18th January........Private Harris Rolbin was born at Redbank, Manchester, Lancashire, England in 1890. He came to Australia in 1909 & enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 7th December, 1914 as a 24 year old Locomotive Fireman from Picton, NSW.

Private Rolbin was wounded in action at Gallipoli between 25th April & 2nd May, 1915 (Dates as recorded on Pte Rolbin’s Casualty Form – Active Service). He was admitted to Alexandria Government Hospital on 30th April, 1915. A Medical Report was completed at Convalescent Camp at Mustapha on 29th June, 1915 & he was found to have Rheumatic Fever. The Medical Board recommended that Private Rolbin be discharged as permanently unfit. He requested that he be discharged in England as all his relatives were in England (under normal circumstances soldiers serving in the A.I.F. enlisted in Australia & were discharged in Australia).

Private Rolbin was transferred from Egypt to England on 23rd September, 1915. He was admitted to Reading War Hospital on 5th October, 1915 with a gunshot wound to left shoulder & Rheumatic fever. He was discharged on 11th October, 1915. (Records do not shown any other details until 27th October, 1915 when he was hospitalised & again hospitalised on 4th March, 1916).

Private Rolbin was admitted to at Dykebar War Hospital, Paisley, Scotland on 10th March, 1916 suffering from Dementia praecox. The Hospital Admissions form has the following remarks on Pte Rolbin’s condition: “Remained in an acutely hallucinated state for some months, and dementia then set in and has been gradually deepening with signs of general cerebral atrophy.”

Private Harris Rolbin died at 2.35 am on 18th January, 1917 at Dykebar War Hospital, Paisley, Scotland from General Cerebro Atrophy. His body was sent to 32 Bellcott Street, Cheetham Hill, Manchester from Dykebar War Hospital, Paisley, Scotland & he was privately buried in Blackley Jewish Cemetery, Blackley, Manchester, Lancashire, England

https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/blackley-jewish.html

Harris ROLBIN (Service Number1613) was born in Manchester, England about December 1890. 

He enlisted at Liverpool on 9th December 1914 and being unmarried gave his mother Mrs Yetta Rolbin living in Manchester as his next of kin. He embarked at Sydney on 11th February 1915 on HMAT ‘Seang Choon’. He embarked at Alexandria on 5th April to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, so was almost certainly among those who landed at Gallipoli on Anzac Day. He wasw wounded in the left shoulder soon after arriving at Gallipoli, probably on 30th April. He was evacuated to Egypt. He develoedp rheumatic fever, and this led to his evacuation to England in September and his admission to the War Hospital, Reading. In April 1916 he was admitted to hospital in Weymouth, where he seems to have deteriorated badly though he was nominally taken on the strength of No. 1 Command Depot, Salisbury. At some stage he became very ill and was admitted to the Dykebar War Hospital, Paisley Scotland.

The medical reports state that serious deterioration was occurring to his brain, with consequent dementia, and he died on 18th January 1917.

Rolbin’s body was taken by his family and buried Privately in the Blackley Jewish Cemetery, Manchester.

- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.