41301
WILSON-TODD, Robert William
| Service Number: | 214 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Hill, Gloucestershire, England, 27 December 1875 |
| Home Town: | Sandy Bay, Hobart, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Accountant |
| Died: | Queensland, Australia, 14 July 1922, aged 46 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Corporal, 214, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement Corporal, 214, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked Corporal, 214, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Adelaide | |
| 1 Dec 1915: | Promoted Sergeant, 10th Infantry Battalion, Temporary Sergeant, reverts back to role of Corporal 2nd February 1916 | |
| 1 Mar 1918: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 10th Infantry Battalion, Promoted to Sergeant up until the end of his service, later that year. | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Sergeant, 214, 10th Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Robert William Wilson-Todd's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Robert William Wilson-Todd (birth name Robert Hillhouse Wilson-Todd) was born on the 27th of December 1875 in Gloucestershire, England. In 1901, he migrated to Australia from England. His written next of kin on his enlistment sheet was Jessie Todd, written as his mother, however on his marriage documents state that her name was Janet Todd. His father’s name was Robert Todd, as stated on Wilson-Todd’s marriage certificate. Before the war, he worked as an accountant, and was married to Avis Narrabeen Todd on the 25th of June 1912 in Hobart, Tasmania. His religious background was the Church of England.
Wilson-Todd enlisted on the 19th of August 1914, at the age of 38 years, 7 months in Morphettville, South Australia. On his enlistment papers, his physical appearance was stated as six feet tall, 190 pounds with dark skin with black hair and blue eyes. He joined the 10th Infantry Battalion, a South Australian Battalion. Wilson-Todd was assigned with the role of Corporal, meaning that he commanded a section of soldiers in his battalion. His battalion embarked on the 20th of October 1914 aboard the HMAT A11 Ascanius, and arrived in Alexandria, Egypt on the 6th of December of the same year, where he was later transported to Cairo for training. He was transported to England on the 8th of May 1915, after being wounded in the left leg, likely from training. On the 1st of December 1915, Wilson-Todd was appointed as temporary sergeant, until the 2nd of February of the following year, ceasing duty at Bostall Heath in Abbey Wood, England, a military training camp. This place was also known as the Australian Intermediate Depot.
On the 29th of May 1916, he was in Etaples, France at the 1st Australian base depot, also known as headquarters, likely for training. On the 25th June 1916, he was appointed as Sergeant, reverting back to the role of Corporal a month later. On the 27th of July 1916, he was admitted to hospital for scabies, which is a parasitic infestation from mites that lays eggs under the skin, causing severe itch and possible septic infection. On the 25th of August 1916, he was taken on strength from France to the 10th Battalion. In the first week of September 1916, most of the battalion’s days were spent recovering from casualties, serving in trench warfare in France, with later in the week being focused on training. On the 9th of September, in Boulogne, France, he was admitted sick for ‘flat foot’, meaning that his ability to walk was hindered due to pain. On the 30th of October 1916, Wilson-Todd was boarded to Southall, England from Calais, France for a 6-month 'home service' following his diagnosis of inflammation of connective tissues on his arm.
During this home service, he was attached to the Army Pay Corps on the 3rd of December 1916, which meant that he spent his time providing financial services to soldiers, with experience due to his prior occupation of serving as an accountant pre-war. On the 13th of February 1917, Wilson-Todd was detached for duty, working with the 3rd Australian General Hospital in Brighton. In May 1917, he moved to France along with 90 other nursing staff. His rank was changed from corporal to sergeant on the 1st of March 1918 in London. On the 18th of October 1918, Wilson-Todd was detached from duty, as he was pending his fate of returning to Australia. On the 12th of December 1918, he returned to Australia, after 4 years and 210 days of total service.
After Wilson-Todd’s return to Australia, he resided in Adelaide, where he would be taken to court in September 1919, for an unpaid cheque worth one pound, 10 pence, obtaining goods with the valueless cheque whilst under the influence of liquor. He was jailed for fourteen days, then released. On the 1st of October 1920, Wilson-Todd and his wife, Avis Todd filed for divorce, due to Wilson-Todd’s desertion of her during the war, despite the multiple failed attempts of tracking and contacting him during his service. They never had any children during their marriage. On the 14th of July 1922, Wilson-Todd passed away at the age of forty-six in Queensland, Australia, with his cause of death unknown.