O'DOHERTY, Robert
| Service Number: | 21147 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 29 September 1915, Enlisted at Brisbane, QLD |
| Last Rank: | Driver |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Divisional Ammunition Column |
| Born: | County Donegal, Ireland, 19 February 1879 |
| Home Town: | New Farm, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Shop Assistant |
| Died: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 27 December 1950, aged 71 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Anzac Portion 8, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 29 Sep 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Gunner, 21147, 9th Field Artillery Brigade , Enlisted at Brisbane, QLD | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 May 1916: | Involvement Gunner, 21147, 9th Field Artillery Brigade , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Argyllshire embarkation_ship_number: A8 public_note: '' | |
| 11 May 1916: | Embarked Gunner, 21147, 9th Field Artillery Brigade , HMAT Argyllshire, Sydney | |
| 23 Jul 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Driver, 3rd Divisional Ammunition Column, From 9th Field Artillery Brigade | |
| 10 Apr 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Driver, 21147, 3rd Divisional Ammunition Column, Discharged at the 1st Military District as medically unfit due to effort syndrome |
Help us honour Robert O'Doherty's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Carol Foster
Son of Sarah Ann O'Doherty of Harcourt Street, New Farm, QLD.
Commenced return to Australia on 4 January 1919 aboard HT Morvada disembarking at Melbourne on 2 February 1919 for onward travel by boat to Brisbane.
Medal: British War Medal, Victory Medal
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Remembrance Army
Driver Robert Henry O'Doherty (Service No. 21147), an Australian World War One veteran, is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now marked with plaques in recognition of their service for Australia.
We unveiled his plaque in Lutwyche Cemetery on 23 September 2023, along with a further 300 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans located in Anzac Portion 8:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page
Robert Henry O'Doherty was born on 19 February 1879 in County Donegal, Ireland, to Michael O'Doherty and Sarah Ann O'Doherty (nee Patton). He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 29 October 1915 in Brisbane, as a 34-year-old single shop assistant and nominating his mother of Harcourt Street, New Farm, Brisbane as his next of kin. On 11 May 1916 he embarked for overseas service aboard HMAT Argyllshire from Sydney.
On 25 August 1916, he was appointed Driver, and in December 1916, he was attached to the Royal Brigade Australian Artillery (R.B.A.A.) training or reserve staff, indicating non-frontline duties.
In May 1917, he proceeded overseas to France and served with artillery units attached to the 3rd Australian Division on the Western Front. On 4 November 1918, shortly before the end of the war, he was recorded as wounded due to gas poisoning. On 30 November 1918, shortly after the Armistice, O’Doherty was transferred from Havre to England and classified as fit only for light duties.
In January 1919 he was invalided to Australia on the troopship HT Morvada, disembarking at Melbourne the following month, and was discharged from the AIF on 10 April 1919. It was recorded that he suffered from ‘effort syndrome’, a term used at that time to describe a condition in which soldiers developed breathlessness, chest pain, palpitations, and fatigue during physical exertion despite having no detectable heart disease. It was initially thought to be a cardiac problem but was later understood as a stress and anxiety-related response to prolonged combat and exhaustion. The condition limited soldiers’ fitness for duty and contributed to early recognition of psychosomatic illness.
Following his return to Australia, he is recorded as living at Harcourt Street, New Farm, Brisbane and working as a shop assistant.
Driver Robert Henry O'Doherty died on 27 December 1950, aged 71, and was buried in Anzac Portion 8, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane.
After decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia — ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity and dignity have now been restored.
We have remembered him.
Lest We Forget.
Click images to start slideshow.