ROBINSON, Norman Alexander
| Service Number: | Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 June 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 55th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Auckland, New Zealand, 1896 |
| Home Town: | Beecroft, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Technical High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Civil engineer surveyor |
| Memorials: | Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll Of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, Officer, 55th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr 1916: | Involvement 55th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Apr 1916: | Embarked 55th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Sydney | |
| 4 May 1917: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Officer, 55th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Sydney Technical High School
Norman Alexander Robinson was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1896 (1). His father, Captain Alexander Robinson, born in Antrim, Ireland, was a master mariner, one of the most well-known in Australia. Captain Robinson unexpectedly passed away in 1911 (2). His mother, Mrs Annie Robinson, raised four children, including Norman. The family moved from Auckland and settled in Beecroft, New South Wales, on the edge of northern Sydney (3). From an early age, Norman Robinson displayed exceptional academic ability, which would prove vital during his service in the AIF.
Norman Robinson’s childhood was marked by immense academic success. In 1909, he won a Junior State Scholarship, permitting him to transfer from Beecroft Public School to attend Sydney Technical High School. He further continued his excellent academic performance at Sydney Tech during his 5 year stay, spanning from 1910 to 1914. At Sydney Tech, Robinson shined in his classes (called divisions), ranking first in Division II (4). Robinson graduated from his secondary education with an ”Honours Graduate STC Engineering,” indicating his stellar academic performance in the engineering subject. Robinson also held a “Public Service pass and Senior pass”, both of which refer to academic qualifications denoting the completion of secondary education, allowing one to work in the NSW workforce (5). Alongside his schooling, Robinson noted: “I have been an apprentice civil engineer for four years with R. Fisher Civil Engineering.” It can be observed how Robinson was an apprentice civil engineer for R. Fisher Civil Engineering from 1912 to 1915 (6). Robinson enlisted to the AIF on the 22nd of June, 1915, at 19 years old as part of the 55th.
Robinson embarked from Sydney aboard the ‘HMAT A40 Ceramic’ on the 14th of April, 1916, a critical point in the war for the AIF, who had just reorganised their forces after the failure of the Gallipoli campaign (7). Robinson left Australia as an officer cadet (OCDT), but was then promoted twice within 3 months to the Lieutenant (LT) role, proving his exceptional competence and leadership skills. Being a junior officer, Robinson was required to lead men on the battlefield, oversee the logistics and strategies and ensure discipline of soldiers. Through his prior studies and experience in engineering, Robinson was valuable for tasks like planning fortifications and trenches. The role of junior officer placed Robinson under immense danger, as Lieutenants generally led from the front and were with their soldiers during battle.
The 55th Battalion were initially sent to Egypt to undergo training and perform defensive duties around the Suez Canal. The Battalion was present in Egypt from February to June 1916, and then proceeded to the Western Front (8).
Unfortunately, Robinson sustained an accidental gunshot injury on the 5th of January, 1917. The injury being described as an ‘accidental injury’ indicates that Robinson may have been injured during training procedures or due to accidental friendly fire.This only worsened Robinson’s experience at war, which was plagued with illnesses such as pneumonia, trench fever and trench nephritis (inflammation of kidney). On the 13 of January, was transferred to England to go to hospital. After a prolonged period in hospital, Robinson was declared unfit to continue in the war, and set out on his return to Australia on the 28th of May, 1917 (12).
Endnotes:
1. NZ Records Searcher; NZ Birth Index, entry for Robinson, Norman Alexander (1896/94)
2. The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) Tue 24 May 1921 Page 10
3. NAA: B2455, Service Record of N. Robinson page 11 (lists postal address as Beecroft Road, Beecroft, Sydney, NSW)
4. Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1931), Wednesday 7 July 1909, page 2
5. NAA: B2455, Service Record of N. Robinson, page 11 (lists educational qualifications)
6. Ibid (lists employment as ‘civil engineer’)
7. NAA: B2455, Service Record of N. Robinson, page 10 (lists embarkation on ‘A40 “Ceramic” on 14th April, 1916)
8. AWM Unit History - 55th Battalion, “Expansion and re-organisation of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in Egypt”
9. Ibid, “Battle of Fromelles”
10. Cook, Tim. Snowy to the Somme: A Muddy and Bloody Campaign, 1916–1918 (Big Sky Publishing, 2015).
11. NAA: B2455, Service Record of N. Robinson, page 19;casualty form (indicates Robinson’s medical history)
12. NAA: B2455, Service Record of N. Robinson, page 22 (purport)
13. Ibid (stamps of medals/honors awarded)
14. Western Front Association - 'Health in returning veterans of the First World War: The impact of wounds, agassing, injury, and medical and psychological conditions from a study of the pension ledgers' by Dr Peter Hodgkinson
15. AIF ‘ADFA Project’
16. NSW ‘BDM’ database - information on N.Robinson’s death is only accessible by purchasing the package