CALWELL, Robert Oliver
| Other Name: | Calwell, Robert - Service Record |
|---|---|
| Service Number: | 1325 |
| Enlisted: | 12 July 1915, Enlisted in Ballarat, allocated to 7th reinforcements. |
| Last Rank: | Trooper |
| Last Unit: | 13th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Bolwarrah, Victoria, Australia , 1894 |
| Home Town: | Bolwarrah, Moorabool, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Bolwarrah State School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 24 March 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Dernancourt Communal Cemetery Extension VI.E.17 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Trooper, 1325, 13th Light Horse Regiment, Enlisted in Ballarat, allocated to 7th reinforcements. | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Nov 1915: | Involvement Private, 1325, 13th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '3' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 23 Nov 1915: | Embarked Private, 1325, 13th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Ceramic, Melbourne | |
| 21 Mar 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Trooper, 1325, Sustained severe shrapnel wounds to face, shoulder, abdomen and both legs while serving in France as part of 1st ANZAC Corps Light Horse Regt. Died of wounds 3 days later. | |
| 24 Mar 1917: | Involvement Trooper, 1325, 13th Light Horse Regiment, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1325 awm_unit: 13th Australian Light Horse Regiment awm_rank: Trooper awm_died_date: 1917-03-24 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Karan CAMPBELL-DAVIS
Robert Oliver CALWELL was born in 1894 in Bolwarrah, Victoria, to parents Daniel and Annie (nee CORRIE) CALWELL. His father died in 1903, when Robert was just 9 years old, and mother Annie CALWELL married Moses Walter BETTERIDGE in 1907.
A 21 year old single labourer at the time, Robert enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Ballarat on 12th July 1915 as a Private, with the regimental number 1325. After completing his recruit training at Broadmeadows Camp, he was appointed as a Trooper with the 7th reinforcements of the 13th Light Horse Regiment, and transferred to Seymour Camp on 18th October for further training.
On 23rd November 1915, Robert embarked with his Unit in Melbourne aboard HMAT 'Ceramic', for active service overseas. After arriving in Egypt on 22nd February 1916, Robert was admitted to hospital in Ferry Post with parotitis/mumps (viral infection of salivary glands), but had to be quarantined following contact with a meningitis case. Transferred by 5th Field Ambulance to hospital in Ismailia, he was discharged on 6th March 1916, and assigned to 'B' Squadron of the 13th Light Horse Regiment, in Moascar.
On 26th March 1916, Robert was taken on strength with 4th Division Cavalry in Tel-El-Kebir. On 2nd June, they proceeded to Alexandria to embark with the British Expeditionary Force for France, arriving in Marseilles eight days later. Then, on 2nd July, the entire 13th Light Horse Regiment was allocated to the 1st ANZAC Corps, the only mounted troops to serve with them in the theatres of the Western Front.
On 21st March 1917 near Bapaume, France, Robert sustained severe shrapnel wounds to his face, shoulder, abdomen and both legs, during a German artillery barrage. Evacuated by the 5th Field Ambulance to the 1/1st South Midland Casualty Clearing Station (Edgehill, Somme), both his legs were amputated, but he succumbed to his injuries three days later, aged 22. He was buried in the Dernancourt Communal Cemetery Extension, about 4km South West of the town of Albert.
Robert was later posthumously awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his service. Three of his five brothers also served in the AIF, and returned to Australia.
Lest we forget...
Compiled by Karan CAMPBELL-DAVIS from historical records kept by the National Archives of Australia, Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria, and the Australian Light Horse Association website.
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