BRADLEY, Robert William
| Service Number: | 2573 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 20th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Leichhardt, New South Wales, Australia, 1882 |
| Home Town: | Leichhardt, Leichhardt, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 5 May 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Brewery Orchard Cemetery, Bois-Grenier Plot IV, Row C, Grave No. 25, Brewery Orchard Cemetery, Bois-Grenier, Lille, Nord Pas de Calais, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Leichhardt War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2573, 20th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 1915: | Involvement Private, 2573, 20th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Nov 1915: | Embarked Private, 2573, 20th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Sydney |
Help us honour Robert William Bradley's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Robert Bradley only arrived in France six weeks before his death on 5 May 1916, one of the early casualties of the Western Front. Occupying a feature known as the Bridoux Salient in Bois Grenier, the 20th Battalion were near Armentieres, in an area known as the “Nursery Sector”. At 7:45pm on 5 May 1916, a heavy bombardment began to rain down on the forward companies of the 20th Battalion. A German raiding party entered the Australian trenches, armed with pistols, grenades and trench clubs.
The bombardment and raid cost the 20th Battalion 23 dead, 72 wounded, and 11 captured.
Adding to the severity of the situation, the Germans also captured two 3-inch Stokes Mortars. These classified weapons had been used to support the battalion during the day, and had been left at the front lines, in contradiction of strict rules governing their use.
Years after the war, 20th Battalion members were mocked by other soldiers with the greeting: "Got any trench mortars, Dig?"
Robert was killed during the raid and his brother Claude Bradley was severely shell shocked. Claude was returned to Australia several months later. Another brother, 4137 Private Herbert Hamilton Bradley 4th Battalion AIF, was killed in action at Lagnicourt 15 April 1917, age 31.