Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Robert Vincent Horne was born on 5 October 1923 in West Croydon, South Australia, to Ernest and Elizabeth Horne. His father served as a driver and fought with distinction during the Great War.

Robert worked as fitter’s assistant at Forwood Down & Co. Ltd., an engineering company, until he enlisted, as a Private in the Citizen Military Forces (CMF), on the 18 November 1941. In 1942, Private Horne was transferred to the 25th Garrison Battalion P.O.W (Interment Camp No. 10) at Loveday in the Riverland and was later transferred to 33rd Garrison Battalion in 1943.

In June 1943 Private Horne volunteered for enlistment in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and was allocated service number SX29896. In July of that year, he embarked aboard the ‘Duntroon’ from Townsville, Queensland bound for Port Moresby, New Guinea, and later Morotai where he served as part the of 2/121 Brigade Workshop and 140 Brigade Workshop. These workshops were responsible for maintaining and repairing military equipment, including aircraft, vehicles, and weaponry.

Morotai was an island in the Halmahera group of the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) and served as a key staging point and airbase for American and Australian operations in the Philippines during the Second World War.

As a result of a fire, Private Horne was evacuated 27 October 1945 to the 2/9 General Hospital with first- and second-degree burns to his face and both forearms. He suffered recurring skin infections and was evacuated to Darwin in late December 1945. In January 1946, Private Horne was flown to the 102nd Australian General Hospital in Queensland for further treatment and recovery.

After recovering from his wounds in Australia, he returned to General Duties Depot (GDD) 4th Military District (4MD) in South Australia, awaiting his discharge on the 3 June 1946.