Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Robert George Marner was born in approximately February 1895. His hometown is in Wirrabara, Mount Remarkable, South Australia. He was 21 years old, with a fresh complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. He had no distinctive marks and perfect vision. Marner’s occupation was listed as a gardener and he was born in Wirrabarra in South Australia. His mother was Mrs Elizabeth Marner and his brothers are James Stephen Marner and Albert John Marner. His hometown address was in Wirrabara in South Australia.

Robert enlisted as a private to serve in the Australian Imperial Force on 19 June 1916. He was assigned to the 13th battalion and then the 11th battalion. His service number was 2118 and Robert George Marner’s height was 171 cm tall and weighs 154 lbs. His next of kin was listed as his mother Mrs Elizabeth Marner who lived in Wirrabara, South Australia.

He embarked from Adelaide, South Australia on 28th August 1916 on the HMAT Anchises A68. After some time in England, he went to France and joined the 39th Battalion on 23rd November 1916.

He fought and was gassed on 7th June 1917 in the field at Messines. Messines was the second large-scale victory fought by British and Commonwealth forces on the Western Front.  It was the 3rd Australian Division's first major operation and marked the successful application of underground mine warfare and General Sir Herbert Plumer's "Bite and Hold" tactics.

Messines heralded the start of what has become known as the Third Ypres Campaign.  It was also to be a key turning point for the Allies complementing the Canadian victory at Vimy Ridge in April 1917.  After months of meticulous preparation, the battle commenced with the detonation of 19 underground mines, dug beneath the German lines along the Wytschaete-Messines Ridge, the high ground south of Ypres. 

Messines was a key preliminary operation for the subsequent 'Third Battle of Ypres' campaign which was conducted over the last four months of 1917, and ended in the mud and misery of Passchendaele. Messines was the first battle to which General Monash's Third Australian Division was committed.  It was backed up and relieved by the Fourth Division during the course of the battle.

Battalions comprising large number of South Australians committed to the battle included the 43rd Battalion in the Third Division, and the 48th, 50th and 52nd Battalions in the Fourth Division.  The First Australian Tunnelling Company were famously involved in the underground battle at Hill 60 on the northern extremity of this ridge.

Marner returned to duty on 11th June 1917. He was later admitted for scabies on 10 October 1917. Scabies is a skin infection caused by very small mites called Sarcoptes scabiei. The mites burrow into the skin to lay their eggs. New insects hatch from the eggs and can be spread to other parts of the skin by scratching. Scabies is spread by direct, prolonged physical contact. He returned to duty on 5th November but was sick again in early 1918.

Robert was wounded for the second time on 17th July 1918, this time (severely) by shrapnel in the buttocks and arm. That was the end of his war, and he spent the remainder of 1918 in hospital. He embarked for Australia on 11th January 1919 and landed in Adelaide on 21st February.

Robert did not serve overseas in 1914-1915 so he was not issued with the 1914-1915 Star medal. Robert George Marner was issued with the Victory Medal was authorised in 1919 to commemorate the victory of Allied Forces over the Central Powers. Each of the Allied nations issued a ‘Victory Medal’ to their own nationals. Each nation used the standard ribbon but used different designs on the medal to reflect national identity and custom. A number had the figure of Victory on the obverse. Australians were awarded the medal issued by Great Britain.

Robert was also awarded with the British War Medal which was instituted by King George V in 1919 to mark the end of World War 1 and record the service given. The qualification period of service between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918 was later extended to cover post-war mine clearance and service in Russia during 1919 and 1920.