Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Ray was born in Young, New South Wales on the 16th February 1919 to Edith Grace and Hartle Oliver John Bartel Robinson. In post-war years, Ray returned to live in this general area, just outside Canberra.
Ray’s grandfather, Daniel Thomas Robinson, born at Black Springs, later moved to Mannanarie in the mid-north of South Australia. That area came to feature in Ray’s family life where strong ties were forged in the Methodist Church choir, Sunday School and Bible studies classes at both Mannanarie and Peterborough. Hartle became a highly respected Woodwork teacher at several schools, including Peterborough High, making a lasting impression on the students he taught with such enthusiasm and encouragement. He also forged life-long friendships with many of the local families.
Unfortunately, life dealt several blows to the family. Ray had just turned seven when his older brother, nine-year-old Rex Hartel died in May 1926. Three years later, Ray’s 36-year-old mother, Edith died in December ’29. Both now rest together in the Payneham Cemetery. Ray also, as a 16-year-old had an extended stay in the Peterborough Hospital, with the local paper sharing that he was hoping to ‘leave his bed for a few hours during the weekend.’
Many fellow students in Ray’s woodwork classes, taught by his father, Hurtle were later to be amongst those who enlisted to serve during WWII. They included Louis Ehrke, Colin and Lance Taplin, and my father Bryan Holmes. As was inevitable in a country town, family lives were closely intertwined, with the Robinson and Holmes families growing up together and the parents being involved in the Peterborough Social Club where Hurtle was on the management Committee and Bryan’s mother Ollie Holmes coordinating the suppers.
Ray gained his Qualifying Certificate in ’31, leading to him also gaining A Grade II Certificate in Woodwork in ’33. The previous year both Ray and my father Bryan Holmes were jointly awarded prizes for their own choice of inlay in their woodwork. Ray continued with his studies, graduating with his Leaving Exams in ’37 and his Intermediate Certificate the following year. He followed this with training to be a linesman in ’38.
Fun activities, often church-initiated, also occupied the young men. One such occasion was a Masquerade Competition held in July ’37.Ten young men, including Ray, dressed to represent female characters. Ray was Miss M. G. See with other creative names including Miss Helen Hardhit, a golfer, Miss S. Swiftserve, a modern tennis player and Miss Soon Will Be, the bridesmaid. The "ladies" paraded around the hall while friends attempted to guess the names of the young men to correspond with the number that each wore. At the conclusion of the competition the masqueraders removed their masks, revealing their identities, to much hilarity.
With the outbreak of WWII, Ray served with the Military Forces as number S16048 in the Signal section. During this time, a cricket match was arranged in Peterborough in March ‘40 against a strong local XI. A scratch A.I.F. team scored 6 for 126 (dec.). The locals replied with 5 for 165. The test batsman, Ray Robinson was dismissed early by a splendid catch in slips. He claimed that the beautiful clubhouse was too inviting to stay away from for long, especially after a couple of months' soldiering.
The following year, Ray and Joan Eulalie Coombe of Unley announced their engagement in February ’41. Aged 22, Ray also enlisted to serve on the 8th September that year and was allocated the number SX14453, serving with the Corps Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in the 2/9th Australian Armed Regiment Workshops. Two months later, he and Joan married on November 1st in an evening ceremony at the Malvern Methodist Church.
Ray’s early training was at Wayville (where he was unfortunate to contract an upper Respiratory Tract infection just prior to Christmas ’41, spending time in the military hospital. By July the following year while at Puckapunyal Ray contracted mumps, and at the end of the year gastro. In between he gained his electrician qualifications at the commencement of ’43. In this Electrical Training, Ray gained particularly creditable results in both the theory (78%), Practical (85%) and Oral (79%). Not unexpectedly, he was praised as a very keen student with above average ability.
Frustratingly, that year it was also discovered that he had faulty vision. The early part of ’44 was he was detached to the 2/9th Workshop in Queensland.
With the war showing no signs of abating, schools and parents became increasingly aware of the possibility of being attacked from above. The S.A. Public Schools Committees Association reflected parents’ concerns and were supportive of trenches being dug in schools for the safety of students. This was not supported by the Government but several schools, including Thebarton and Adelaide Technical High, plus the Prospect Woodwork Centre were all supportive. In ’42 Ray’s father, Hartle was teaching at Prospect where he and the Principal supervised the boys aged from 9 to 12 years in digging a 45ft long and 6-foot-deep trench that would hold 40 boys. Other schools including Brompton, Pennington. Lockleys, and Henley Beach Schools, quickly followed suit.
Ray’s wife, Joan and Eva Cummings from Peterborough, became close friends. During the war, Eva had continued her nursing training at the Royal Adeliade Hospital and would often visit Ray’s parents to stay with Hartle and his second wife, Eunice at Angas Street in Goodwood. (Hartle had sold their Peterborough home on the corner of Victoria Street and Government Road in January ’41.) Similarly, Bryan’s parents, Ollie and Willie Holmes were also guests at the Goodwood home.


In May ’45 Ray left Cairns, arriving in Morotai in April ’45.
When the much-anticipated announcement was made that the war was over, Joan and Eva Cummings were at a dance in Peterborough. The following day, every bell, whistle and car horn blew to let people know the war was over (as there were no phones). Eva’s farming family at Dowd’s Hill even heard the noise. In Peterborough the Main Street was filled with people dancing and hugging each other. With troops streaming home, arrival dates were unknown, but Eva received a message on the pin-board of the Nurses’ Home on the 26th November ‘45 that read ‘Home in Adelaide’. She ran up North Terrace and caught a train to Goodwood to let the Robinsons (and Ollie Holmes, who was staying there) know that Bryan was home. Wasting no time, Bryan proposed on the 5th December and Joan immediately wrote to Ray to share the news.
Hearing of the engagement between Eva Cummings and Bryan Holmes, Ray immediately wrote to Eva commenting how pleased he was that ‘Brian (sic) had at last plucked up courage (you can tell him that) and a diamond ring was the result.’ He also added that at the time of writing, his days in Morotai began with a morning parade with the rest of the day free with duties only every five days, so the men were getting tired and bored. With return to Australia on the minds of the troops, Ray wrote ‘I have never heard so many rumours in all my life as are going around in this camp and for pure inventiveness some chaps here have taken a beating.’
News of the power cuts in Adelaide had also arrived with Ray commenting how ‘very tame’ the city must be with the elevators not working and theatres and cafes closed. Ray also wondered about Bryan being able to get his wedding suit made, as that also would be affected by the power cuts ‘It will be too bad if he has to wear green, but this would look quite nice in the group photo.
With the war finally drawing to a close, In January ’46 Ray returned to South Australia to be discharged on the 22nd January.
Bryan had had more than enough of army uniform and was insistent he would marry in a suit, using precious coupons to have one made. Ray was his best man in the marriage that took place on the 23rd February the following year in the Peterborough Baptist Church with the reception held back on the Dowds Hill farm. .
Even after the wedding Hartley and his wife Eunice continued to support the newlyweds Bryan and Eva, who boarded with them at Goodwood until scarce accommodation could be found as Bryan returned to work with Goldsborough Mort.
Post war, Ray continued to add to his qualifications, earning his Clerk 3rd Division in ’41 and a decade later Third Division, Accounts Branch, General Accounts and by ’54 successfully passing his accounts exam.
Ray was just 56 when he died in Canberra on the 30th March, 1975. The Canberra Times carried the announcement on the 31st March, ’75.ROBINSON, Ray Berryman. — ‘March 30. 1975 at Canberra. Late of 158 Hawkesbury Cr, Farrer. Beloved husband of Joan, loved father of Heather, Rona and Peter.
Ray is remembered in the Ex-Service Wall of the Norwood Park Crematorium at Mitchell, on the bottom left side in Row 1. His wife Joan lived to be 85 and died on the 16th of January 2004. Her remains are nearby in the Peace Red Rose Garden 70.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.