ROBERTS, Richard Lawrence
| Service Number: | 4563 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 September 1915, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Norwood, South Australia, 8 August 1896 |
| Home Town: | Norwood (SA), South Australia |
| Schooling: | Wellington Road School, Norwood |
| Occupation: | Wood Turner |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 20 August 1916, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
Serre Road Cemetery No.2 Beaumont Hamel, France Serre road No. 2 cemetery (Plot XXVIII, Row B, Grave No. 7), Somme, France, Serre Road Cemetery No 2, Beaumont Hamel, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 14 Sep 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Adelaide, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Feb 1916: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Private, 4563, 10th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Miltiades embarkation_ship_number: A28 public_note: '' |
|
| 7 Feb 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 4563, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Miltiades, Adelaide | |
| 20 Aug 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 4563, 10th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières |
Richard Lawrence Roberts
4563 Richard Lawrence Roberts, was the brother of 4562 Stanley Arthur Roberts. The brothers joined the same battalion on the same day and were killed in action on the same day.
They were the sons of John Soames Roberts and Annie Hibben, of Norwood, South Australia and the grandsons of Josiah Willshere Roberts and Elizabeth Tilley. They were the great grandsons of John William Roberts and Leonora Soames Willshere.
John arrived in Australia from England in 1841 and became a very successful property developer in South Australia, and the founder of the Clayton Weslyan Church.
Richard and Stanley were also the cousins of Ewart Roberts (3rd Light Horse) and his brother Clive Roberts (903A of the 3rd Light Horse) - KIA, Leigh Kingston Roberts and his brother Edwin Charles Frith Roberts, and Leslie Roberts, all of whom served in WWI.
Submitted 1 August 2015 by Kathie Bezer
Biography
"THE LATE PRIVATES S. A. AND R. L. ROBERTS.
Privates S. A. and R. L. Roberts, who were killed in action in France on August 20, were the eldest and second sons of Mr. and Mrs. John S. Roberts, of Harris Street, Norwood. Both were young men of great promise, and held in highest esteem by their fellows. They enlisted together in September, 1915, and sailed from Australia in February. After serving for some months in Egypt they were transferred to France, where in a sanguinary fight they made the supreme sacrifice. Both were true born sons of Australia and staunch members of the A.N.A. In life the brothers were devoted to each other, and in death they were not divided. They were stirred by a sense of duty that bade them go forth to fight, as they said, for home and mother. Before enlistment, Stan was employed by Mr. T. Dean, of Norwood, and Dick by Mr. R. Gray, Maylands. Their grandfather, Mr. Josiah W. Roberts (a nonagenarian) was one of the pioneers of Kensington, where he settled in the early forties." - from the Adelaide Advertiser 07 Oct 1916 (nla.gov.au)
Richard Lawrence “Dick” Robert was born on the 18th of August 1896 to his parents John and Annie Roberts. He and his family – including his older brother Stanley Roberts – lived at 5 Harris Street, Norwood, Adelaide, SA. The family followed the Church of England. His grandpa was one of the pioneers of Kensington. In his earliest years Dick went to Wellington Road School, Norwood, Adelaide, SA. Before enlistment he was employed by Mr R. Gray of Maylands where he worked as a Wood Turner. He and his brother enlisted on the 14th of September 1915, Adelaide, SA and were drafted into the 10th Battalion. He sailed to Egypt on the 6th of February at the age of 19 years old. He served in Egypt for some months and was moved to the Western front. For these trips he travelled on the HMAT A28 Miltiades, which was a troops transport ship at the time. Little did he know this was to be his last battle. Tragically he and his brother both died on the 20th August 1916. He was aged 20 at this point in time. Tragically this was also just 12 days after he had had his birthday. On this day he was reported dead by John Doran. His body was then buried at the Serre Road No. 2 cemetery (Plot XXVIII, Row B, Grave No.7), Somme, France. He earned 2 medals.
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