ROBERTSON, William John
| Service Number: | 1435 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 7 June 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 33rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ryne, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, 18 December 1888 |
| Home Town: | Werris Creek, Liverpool Plains, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Locomotive Fireman |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 30 August 1918, aged 29 years |
| Cemetery: |
Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension Grave IV. P. 10. INSCRIPTION - EVER REMEMBERED |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 7 Jun 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1435, Light Trench Mortar Batteries | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 1435, Light Trench Mortar Batteries, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 1435, Light Trench Mortar Batteries, HMAT Ascanius, Sydney | |
| 18 Apr 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 1435, 33rd Infantry Battalion, Villers-Bretonneux, Gassed. Admitted to 9th General Hospital at Rouen. Sent to England on 25h April 1918 and admitted to the Beaufort War Hospital in Bristol on 27th April 1918. | |
| 30 Aug 1918: | Involvement Private, 1435, 33rd Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1435 awm_unit: 33rd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-08-30 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
33rd Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
He was 29 and the son of David and Marian Robertson, of Home Farm, Fasque, Fettercairn, Kincardineshire, Scotland. He is one of three Australian soldiers of the Great War commemorated on the Fettercairn War Memorial.
Fettercairn (/ˌfɛtərˈkɛərn/, Scottish Gaelic: Fothair Chàrdain) is a small village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, northwest of Laurencekirk in Aberdeenshire on the B966 from Edzell. Fettercairn is also reached via the Cairn O' Mount road (B974) from Deeside.
Address of War Memorial:
New Cemetery on the B966 road at Fettercairn, Scotland.
Biography contributed by John Oakes
William John ROBERTSON (Service Number 1435) was born in Ryne, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on 18th December 1888. On 8th March 1912 he joined the NSW Government Railways and Tramways as a fuelman (permanent) in the Locomotive Branch at Murrurundi, after having been employed on a casual basis since 3rd December 1911. On 13th August 1912 he became a cleaner in the Locomotive Branch at Murrurundi and on 9th June 1913 he progressed to the grade of locomotive fireman. On 9th December 1915 he transferred to Werris Creek as a fireman. On 7th June 1916 he was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces.
He joined the AIF on 7th June 1916 and on 1st July 1916 he was assigned to the 3rd Reinforcements to the 1st to 5th Division Light Trench Mortar Batteries with the rank of Grenadier or Bomber (Service Number 1435). For his next of kin he nominated his father, David Robertson, who was then residing at Fettercairn, Kincardinshire, Scotland.
On 25th October 1916, he embarked for England aboard HMAT A11 ‘Ascanius’ at Sydney. He disembarked at Devonport, England, on 28th December 1916 and went to further training. On 6th February 1917 he was transferred to the 33rd Infantry Battalion whereupon his rank changed to Private. Two days later, on 8th February 1917, he was admitted to Fargo Military Hospital with Influenza. This kept him off duty for a week. On 15th February 1917 he was discharged to the 9th Training Battalion. On 25th April 1917 he left England for France, arriving at the 3rd Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples on 26th April 1917. He left this Depot on 30th April 1917 and he was taken on strength of the 33rd Infantry Battalion on 1st May 1917.
William’s military record indicates he was on duty with the 33rd Infantry Battalion for the next eleven and a half months. During this period the 33rd Infantry Battalion was in Belgium where it was involved in battles at Messines on 7th June 1917 and around Passchendaele on 12th October 1917. After Passchendaele it spent the next five months rotating between periods of rest, training, labouring and service in the line. In the spring of 1918 it was part of a force deployed to defend the approaches to Amiens around Villers-Bretonneux. During operations in this area on 18th April 1918 William was wounded in action, having been gassed.
He was admitted to the 9th General Hospital in Rouen for treatment but on 25th April 1918 he was sent to England where he was admitted to the Beaufort War Hospital in Bristol on 27th April 1918. His condition was classified as not serious, and by 14th May 1918 he had recovered sufficiently to be allowed out on furlough. On 28th May 1918 he was well enough to be sent to No. 4 Convalescent Depot at Hurdcott. From there he went to the Overseas Training Brigade at Longbridge Deverill on 17th July 1918.
William left England to return to France on 8th August 1918 and marched in to the Australian Infantry Base Depot at Rouelles on 10th August 1918. He left this Depot to return to his unit on 12th August 1918 and re-joined the 33rd Infantry Battalion on 14th August 1918.
On 30th August 1918 he was killed in action by a machine gun bullet during operations on Road Wood near Clery-sur-Somme. His grave is in the nearby Péronne Communal Cemetery Extension, Péronne, Picardie, France. His place of association in Australia is Werris Creek, NSW.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.
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