GILLESPIE, Robert Cox
| Service Number: | 3180 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 27 July 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 49th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia, 28 February 1974 |
| Home Town: | Morven, Murweh, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 19 June 1948, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Anzac Portion 7 |
| Memorials: | Morven War Memorial, Morven and District Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 27 Jul 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3180, 49th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 3180, 49th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Demosthenes embarkation_ship_number: A64 public_note: '' | |
| 23 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 3180, 49th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Demosthenes, Sydney | |
| 10 Jul 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 3180, 49th Infantry Battalion, 1st MD, Medically discharged |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Remembrance Army
Private Robert Cox Gillespie (Service No. 3180), an Australian World War One veteran, is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now marked with a plaque in recognition of their service for Australia.
We unveiled his plaque in Lutwyche Cemetery on 15 April 2023, along with a further 246 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page
Robert Cox Gillespie (also known as Robert Charles Gillespie) was born on 28 February 1874 in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, to Robert Gillespie and Elizabeth Jane Gillespie (nee White). He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Charleville, Queensland, on 27 July 1916, stating his occupation as a labourer and naming his father as next of kin. Gillespie embarked from Sydney aboard HMAT Demosthenes on 22 December 1916 and disembarked at Plymouth, England, on 3 March 1917. After completing further training in England, he proceeded to France in June 1917 and joined his battalion in the field on 4 July 1917, serving on the Western Front during an intense period of operations.
In October 1917 Gillespie was evacuated from the front suffering from severe trench feet, a condition caused by prolonged exposure to cold and wet conditions in the trenches. From 24 October 1917 he was treated at a series of military hospitals in France and England, including Rouen, Oxford, Dartford, Weymouth, Hurdcott and Sutton Veny. His condition did not sufficiently improve to allow a return to active service, and he was ultimately classified as medically unfit. Gillespie left England in May 1918 to return to Australia and was formally discharged from the Australian Imperial Force in July 1918.
Following his return to Australia, he is recorded as living in the Charleville/Morven districts working as a grazier.
Private Robert Cox Gillespie died on 19 June 1948, aged 74, and was buried in Anzac Portion 7, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane.
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.
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