BARTLEY, Robert Victor
| Service Number: | 7565 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 January 1916, Enlisted at Melbourne With 11th Battalion |
| Last Rank: | Second Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | Australian Flying Corps (AFC) |
| Born: | Stawell, Victoria, Australia, 30 August 1887 |
| Home Town: | Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Metal Finisher |
| Died: | Aircraft accident, Gosport, United Kingdom, 3 July 1918, aged 30 years |
| Cemetery: |
Gosport (Ann's Hill) Cemetery, Hampshire, England Row 50, Grave 23678 Chaplain J. Henderson from Southsea officiated Undertaker was H.D. Osborn of Gosport and the coffin was of good polished elm |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 5 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 7565, Enlisted at Melbourne With 11th Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Jul 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal | |
| 4 Jan 1917: | Promoted Sergeant | |
| 29 Jun 1917: | Involvement Private, 7565, 11th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Borda embarkation_ship_number: A30 public_note: '' | |
| 29 Jun 1917: | Embarked Private, 7565, 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Borda, Fremantle | |
| 6 Nov 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Sergeant, Australian Flying Corps (AFC), Transferred from 11th battalion to the Australian Flying Corps in England | |
| 12 May 1918: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, Australian Flying Corps (AFC), In England | |
| 3 Jul 1918: | Involvement Second Lieutenant, Australian Flying Corps (AFC), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: Australian Flying Corps awm_rank: Second Lieutenant awm_died_date: 1918-07-03 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Carol Foster
Son of Andrew and Matilda Frances Bartley of 7th Avenue, Maylands, WA
Court finding in to his death stated that while flying a Sopwith Camel while on duty:- that during the last part of a manouevre he must have pulled back on the stick so quickly that his head was thrown forward on to the guns which caused him to be knocked insensible after which he fell forward on to the stick causing the plane to dive into the ground. He had 5 hours flying experience in the Sopwith Camels
Medal: British War Medal
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK
Died on this date - 3rd July......Second Lieutenant Robert Victor Bartley was born at Stawell, Victoria in 1887. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 5th January, 1916 as a 28 year old Metal Finisher from Melbourne, Victoria.
Private Bartley was posted to No. 4 N.C.O. School (no commencement date recorded) until 7th July, 1916. He was promoted to Corporal then promoted to Sergeant in 1916.
Sergeant (voyage only) Bartley embarked from Fremantle, Victoria on 29th June, 1917 & disembarked at Plymouth, England where he was posted to 3rd Training Battalion at Durrington, Wiltshire. He reverted to the rank of Private at that date.
Private Robert Victor Bartley joined No. 1 Royal Flying Corps School of Military Aeronautics at Reading on 2nd November, 1917 & was appointed Cadet. He was taken on strength of A.F.C. (Australian Flying Corps) as 2/A.M. (2nd Air Mechanic) from 11th Battalion.
2nd Air Mechanic Robert Victor Bartley was appointed Flying Officer (Pilot) on 12th May, 1918 with Australian Flying Corps & was to be 2nd Lieutenant.
Second Lieutenant Robert Victor Bartley took off from Fort Grange, Gosport, Hampshire at 2.30 pm on 3rd July, 1918 flying a Sopwith Camel No. C 9 solo. The purpose of the flight was for practice & the weather conditions were fine.
Second Lieutenant Robert Victor Bartley died at 3.15 pm on 3rd July, 1918 at Fort Grange (No. 1 School of Special Flying, R.A.F.), Gosport, Hampshire, England as a result of an aeroplane accident.
A Court of Enquiry was held (see full version in my research in link below) The Court found that the cause of the accident was in their opinion “The Pilot whilst flying on duty, some part of the last manoeuvre must have pulled the stick back so quickly as to cause his head to be thrown forward on to the guns. The impact being sufficient to render him insensible, after which the Pilot fell forward on the stick.”
Second Lieutenant Robert Victor Bartley was buried in Ann’s Hill Cemetery, Gosport, Hampshire, England where 3 other WW1 Australians are buried.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/gosport---anns-hill.html
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