O'BRYAN, Robert Martin
| Service Numbers: | 1649, 1649B |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Albury, N.S.W., 1879 |
| Home Town: | Yarrawonga, Moira, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, The Somme, France, 23 August 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Heath Cemetery, Picardie, France Heath Cemetery, Harbonnieres Plot 6, Row C, Grave 12, Heath Cemetery, Harbonnieres, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Yarrawonga St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church Great War Honor Roll, Yarrawonga War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 27 May 1916: | Involvement Private, 1649, 37th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 May 1916: | Embarked Private, 1649, 37th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Melbourne | |
| 23 Aug 1918: | Involvement Private, 1649B, 5th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1649B awm_unit: 5 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-08-23 |
Robert Martin O'Bryan
Robert joined the 5th Battn A.I.F. from the 37th Battn on the 6th Oct., 1916. He was to die on the 23rd August, 1918 in the last battle in The Somme area, where the Australians were supporting the British 3rd Army at Albert.
In March and April 1918, the battalion helped to stop the German spring offensive. It subsequently participated in the great Allied offensive launched near Amiens on 8 August 1918. The advance by British and empire troops was the greatest success in a single day on the Western Front, one that German General Erich Ludendorff described as “the blackest day of the German Army in this war”.
Robert died in this action which was fought near the town of Peronne in the Picardie region, the same region that John Patrick also died almost 2 years before, and less than 2 km’s away.
Submitted 28 December 2015 by Dennis Walsh
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