SORLEY, Robert
| Service Number: | 339 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Lance Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 5th Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Urana, New South Wales, Australia, 16 February 1892 |
| Home Town: | Campsie, Canterbury, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Locomotive Fireman |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 24 October 1916, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Warlencourt British Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Urana Public School Great War Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Nov 1915: | Involvement Corporal, 339, 30th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Beltana embarkation_ship_number: A72 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Nov 1915: | Embarked Corporal, 339, 30th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Beltana, Sydney | |
| 11 Jul 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Sergeant, 5th Pioneer Battalion, Promoted at Rue-de-Bruges | |
| 24 Oct 1916: | Involvement 339, 5th Pioneer Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 339 awm_unit: 5 Pioneer Battalion awm_rank: Lance Sergeant awm_died_date: 1916-10-24 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
Robert SORLEY, (Service Number 339) was born on 16th February 1892 at Urana near Corowa. He began working for the NSW Railways as a cleaner, the first step in the career path to locomotive driver, at Penrith on 10th September 1911. In 1912 he was at Harden in the same role. By 1913 he had progressed to fireman there. His next move was to Hamilton and then in 1914 to Eveleigh. It was from this location that he was noted as joining the Expeditionary Forces on 12 July 1915. He enlisted at Liverpool a week later He claimed three years’ military service with the 3rd Regiment and another unit at Lithgow, and gave his sister Jean Kinross Sorley, living at Canterbury, as his next of kin.
He was allotted to the 30th Australian Infantry Battalion. He was promoted to Corporal before he left Australia. He embarked on HMAT ‘Beltana’ at Sydney on 9th November 1915. He reached Suez on 11th December and once in Egypt was transferred to the 5th Pioneer Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir on 20th March 1916. On 2nd April he was admitted to the 1st Australian Stationary Hospital at Ismailia with sore feet. He was discharged to duty after four days. He embarked the transport ‘Canada’ at Alexandria on 19th June for passage to join the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front in France, passing through Marseilles on 25th June 1916.
He was promoted to Lance Sergeant at Rue-de-Bruges on 11th July. He was killed in action on 24th October 1916.
He was at first buried three miles SW of Bapaume, but in the rationalisation of cemeteries and isolated graves after the war, his remains were exhumed and re-interred at Warlencourt British Cemetery 2½ miles SW of Bapaume.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.