KIRKBY, Roy William
| Service Number: | 969 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 February 1917 |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | 36th Heavy Artillery Group |
| Born: | Sydney, New South Wales, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Petersham, Marrickville, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Cleveland St SPS and Sydney Technical High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Memorials: | Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll Of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Feb 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Gunner, 969, 36th Heavy Artillery Group | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 May 1917: | Involvement Gunner, 969, 36th Heavy Artillery Group, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Sydney embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: '' | |
| 9 May 1917: | Embarked Gunner, 969, 36th Heavy Artillery Group, HMAT Port Sydney, Sydney |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Sydney Technical High School
Roy William Kirkby (26 June 1895 - unknown) was an Australian soldier who served as a gunner in the 36th Heavy Artillery Group during World War 1. He was born near the town of Gundagai, in the County of Murrumbidgee (1), in the State of New South Wales. His father Thomas Soulby Kirkby (2) and his mother whose name remains unknown, moved to 207 Albany Road, Petersham (3) in Sydney shortly after his birth, which is also where he had spent most of his childhood. Throughout his boyhood he had attended several educational institutions which included The Superior Public School(SPS) - Petersham (4), then was later admitted into Sydney Technical College (5) on the 25th of January 1910. After graduating, Roy William worked as a clerk.
Roy William enlisted in the military on the 26th of February 1917 and he left for war 3 months after. Kirkby was a gunner in the 36th Heavy Artillery Group (6), which meant that his main job was to operate the 8 inch and 9.2 inch Howitzers (7), at the time these were the most powerful heavy artillery weapons. But being a gunner did not come without risk, operating such a large gun made the unit a prime target for counter-battery fire from the German forces.
The battle of Cambrai (8) was the only battle that Kirkby was known to have taken part of. This particular battle was located in the town of Cambrai, France, it was an important supply centre for the German Siegfriedstellung (known to the British as the Hindenburg Line) (9) and capture of the town and the nearby Bourlon Ridge would threaten the rear of the German line to the north.
Roy William was injured during this battle and as a result he went A.W.O.L. Soon after this, Roy William was apprehended by the military police for an illegal absence (10). He was admitted into the hospital where he was declared unfit for service and returned to Australia. He was tried in court, pleaded guilty then detained for a sentence of 120 days in detention (11).
Roy William Kirkby survived the war, he was released back into society after he had served his 120 days in detention. By then his injury had fully healed and he resumed his clerical work. Unfortunately, there is limited information about his life after the war. There are no records of marriage or any birth certificates of possible children, and his date of death remains unknown.
References
National Archives of Australia
1. Ibid
2. Ibid
3. Virtual War Memorial Australia, Kirkby Roy William
4. Ibid
5. Ibid
6. Ibid
7. Britannica Battle of Cambrai 1917
8. Ibid
9. National Archives of Australia
10. Ibid
Bibliography
- https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/270
- https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Cambrai-1917
- https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51109
- https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/147870
Haydn Ying - Sydney Technical High School - 2024
Lest we forget