Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Roy Frederick Peterson was born in Minlaton, on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, on 1 December 1895. He was the seventh child of Christian Peterson (1858-1934) and Louisa Hickman (1865-1920). He married Elizabeth Seal on 21 January 1914. Their first child, Roy Frederick Peterson, was born six months later in Queenstown, South Australia. Sadly, he died aged three months on 20 October 1914. A second son, Christian Joseph Peterson (1915-1971), was born on 24 October 1915 at Semaphore, South Australia.

Roy enlisted on 31 December 1915, aged 20, as one of nine members of the 13th Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train Reinforcement. The 1st Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train (1st RANBT) was formed in Melbourne on 28 February 1915. The unit was created to be a horse-drawn engineering team for the Royal Naval Division (RND). The RND was serving as infantry on the Western Front. The term 'train' in its title referred to the horse-drawn wagons that would theoretically line up to transport heavy lumber, building materials, and engineering equipment to the front.

The RANBT was manned by members of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve (RANR). Roy was a member of the RANR, having spent four and a half years with the Reserve. When formed, the RANBT was to comprise individuals for whom no billets were available in seagoing RAN ships. Many sailors in the 1st RANBT were rated as 'drivers', meaning wagon drivers, not motor vehicle drivers. Other seamen were classified as 'artificers' or 'sappers', a term for army engineers. Roy’s rank was ‘Able Bodied Driver’.

The Reinforcements embarked together from Melbourne on board HMAT A33 Ayrshire on 3 July 1916. The ship arrived in Plymouth on 2 September 1916. However, at that time, the RANBT was stationed in Egypt, where it was used to build a wharf at El Arish.

On 26 September, Roy was admitted to Tidworth Hospital with a septic hand, rejoining the unit on 9 October 1916. On 20 December 1916, he was marched out to join an Infantry Draft at Perham Downs. He then proceeded to Egypt.
On 19 January 1917, he was marched into Moascar, Egypt from Mustapha. The next day, he was taken on strength with the 1st Light Horse Training Regiment (1st LHTR). This unit was located at Kubri West on the Suez Canal. At the time, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force struggled to find an application for the RANBT.
On 27 April 1917, Roy was admitted to the Government Hospital in Suez, suffering from Dysentery. He remained in hospital recovering before returning to 1st LHTR on 22 May 1917.

It had been decided to disband the RANBT. From the Naval Historical Society of Australia, we understand what became of the men of the RANBT.

'It was decided that 84 members of the Train would be retained in a new unit (Army Troop Company Australian Engineers). A further 153 joined the RAN. Of the remainder, some joined the AIF, most going to artillery'.

The remaining RANBT members who did not join the RAN or AIF numbered just over 180. This group included Roy. They were returned to Australia from Suez aboard HMAT A45 Bulla on 29 May 1917, arriving in Melbourne on 10 July 1917.

Roy Peterson was discharged in Adelaide on 24 July 1917. Post-war, he had four more children, Jack (1918-1945), who would die of illness whilst serving in the Second AIF, Reginald Clive (1919-1938), Louise Elizabeth (1923-2013) and Florence (1929-2007).

He died on 28 October 1965 in Salisbury, South Australia.

He received the British War Medal and Victory Medal for his First World War service.