CHRISTIE, Robert
| Service Number: | 662 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 November 1914, Enoggera, Queensland |
| Last Rank: | Air Commodore |
| Last Unit: | 5 Maintenance Group Headquarters |
| Born: | Maryborough, Queensland, Australia, 5 August 1883 |
| Home Town: | Bundaberg, Bundaberg, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Maryborough State School, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Soldier |
| Died: | Died of Injuries (received from a fall), Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, 6 February 1957, aged 73 years |
| Cemetery: |
Mount Thompson Memorial Gardens & Crematorium, Queensland Cremated with full military honours; (Companion Niche) Memorial Location: Columbarium 13/Section 16, together with his Wife: Dorothy Christie. Also his (DVA) Official Commemoration - Memorial Location: Wall 3/Row M; at the Queensland Garden of Remembrance (within the grounds of Pinnaroo Lawn Cemetery) |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 24 Nov 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant, 662, 5th Light Horse Regiment, Enoggera, Queensland | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Dec 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant, 662, 5th Light Horse Regiment, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Persic embarkation_ship_number: A34 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Dec 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant, 662, 5th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Persic, Sydney | |
| 20 May 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant, 662, 5th Light Horse Regiment, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 26 Mar 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 5th Light Horse Regiment | |
| 27 Mar 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Captain, 5th Light Horse Regiment | |
| 9 Sep 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Major, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
| 23 Oct 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant Colonel, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
| 27 Oct 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lieutenant Colonel, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
World War 2 Service
| 25 Jul 1945: | Discharged Royal Australian Air Force, Air Commodore, 5 Maintenance Group Headquarters | |
|---|---|---|
| Date unknown: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Group Captain |
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"Lieutenant Colonel Robert Christie (1883-1957), DSO and BAR, Commanding 51st battalion, at Villers-Bretonneux and later Air Commander, RAAF... He served with the 5th Light Horse Regiment in 1914 and with the 51st battalion in 1916, the year he was appointed Major. He returned to Australia in July 1919." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
"Robert Christie (1883-1957), soldier and air force officer, was born on 5 August 1883 at Maryborough, Queensland, son of Archibald Christie, labourer, and his wife Emma, née Spencer. His father was born in Scotland, his mother in England. He was educated at the Maryborough State School, then moved with his parents to Bundaberg where he worked as a labourer and mail contractor. On 29 July 1907 he married Dorothy Ward with Presbyterian forms.
From about 1907 Christie served in the militia and by 1910 was a sergeant in the Wide Bay Infantry Regiment, Australian Military Forces; he was appointed to the Queensland instructional staff in January 1911 and served as a staff sergeant major until World War I. On 24 November 1914 he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force and was posted to the 5th Light Horse Regiment; his unit embarked for Egypt in December and, from 20 May 1915 until the evacuation, fought at Gallipoli as infantry. He was a quartermaster sergeant and honorary lieutenant from July.
On the formation of the A.I.F.'s 4th Division in February 1916 Christie transferred as a sergeant to the 51st Battalion, raised in Western Australia. Commissioned as a second lieutenant in March 1916, he was promoted captain at once and major in September. After reaching France he fought at Mouquet Farm, Lagnicourt and Messines. He commanded the 51st in the battle of Polygon Wood in September 1917 and won the Distinguished Service Order especially for his 'tactical handling of the battalion'. He was promoted lieutenant-colonel on 23 October and confirmed in his command. Next April at Villers-Bretonneux he gained a Bar to his D.S.O.; here he was involved in a difficult night operation and, having already marched six miles, was ordered to counter-attack and recover a village. Although there was no time for reconnaissance the approach march and the attack itself were 'a brilliant success'. Christie retained command until the end of the war and was awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre and twice mentioned in dispatches. His personal courage and coolness in action, his warm nature and his concern for his men made him a popular and respected leader..." - READ MORE LINK (adb.anu.edu.au)
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