Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Born at Warrnambool in Victoria on the 9th December, 1916, Robert was the oldest son of Mary Stella Louise Elliott. He was named after his father, also Robert Thomas. The family was large with most of the sons gaining employment as labourers and Robert as a stockman.
With the outbreak of WWII aged 24, Robert initially enlisted at Wilcannia in New South Wales on the 29th June ’40 before travelling to Wayville in South Australia. He appears to be the third of the brothers to enlist. He nominated his mother Stella Elliott as his Next of Kin as did Horace. The other brothers nominated their father, Robert. IN all six sons enlisted.
Horace Ambrose, claiming to be 21 with a birth date 15th February ’19, was the first of the brothers to enlist and was allocated to the 2nd/6th on the 17th April ’40 becoming VX11461. (His birth date is interesting when compared to that given by older brother, George.)
21-year-old George Joseph was the second to enlist on the 13th June ’40 at Royal Park in Victoria, becoming VX32113. He gave his birth date as 17th August ’18.
20-year-old Harry Allan enlisted on the 5th July ’40 becoming VX44799. His birth date was given as 30th October ’19.
Finally, Ian enlisted as a 17-year-old on the 29th July ’41 as SN V17936 with a birth date of 19th March ’23.
Albert Elmo, a labourer, enlisted twice, as himself V18155 then as J.A. Starr VX79867 when supposedly 19 years old in August ’41. His birth date was given as 9th July ’22. (This date is also interesting when compared to that given by younger brother, Ian.) It appears Albert may have added two years to his correct age as the Warrnambool Cemetery lists his birth date as ‘24. When the name discrepancy was discovered in September ‘42, Albert retained the latter number and under his correct name, requiring a Statutory Declaration to do so. Albert’s record show he was quite a fiery young man unfazed by either the rank and standing of his superiors, or when and with whom to fight. He resultantly faced a Court of Enquiry and several months in custody for desertion as well as a hefty financial fine.
Robert in South Australia, was almost immediately allocated to the newly formed 2/48th Battalion, given the number SX7254. For the new soldiers, initial days were spent in the cold of the Pavilions, now part of the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds, before they headed to Woodside in the Adelaide Hills for their preliminary training. During pre-embarkation leave Robert unofficially extended this time for two days but was awarded quite a heavy financial penalty as a result. Following leave, he returned to the 2/48th Battalion which then embarked on the Stratheden for the Middle East, on the 7th November 1940, arriving on the 19th December 1940. Soon after disembarking, Robert again went absent in December ’40 and was docked a full day’s pay. This action was repeated with further docking of his pay that month.
Having been self-sufficient for many years, it was not all surprising that Robert’s record shows that he failed to obey an order in January ’41. The rigorous training that ensued in Cyrenaica preceded the 2/48th Battalion going to Tobruk at the start of April 1941 where the dust, flies, heat, minimal water supplies and constant bombardment were quite a challenge to these fresh new enlistees. They were to become the famed Rats of Tobruk.
By January ’42 Robert had contracted tonsillitis and was hospitalised for three weeks. Soon after, in May he had been accidentally wounded. Having been discharged from hospital he was with the 29th Infantry Trig Battalion before again re-joining the 2/48th.
Two years after he enlisted, 25-year-old Robert was killed in action in Egypt on the 22nd July ’42. At that stage, orders had been received to capture West Point of Tel el Eisa in a dawn attack. John Glenn in Tobruk to Tarakan describes the ferocious encounter.
“When the troops were well forward of the start-line they came under terrific fire from shells and mortars from the front and left and suffered heavy casualties. With the slow, deliberate movement of perfectly trained soldiers both companies continued the advance in perfect formation, over ground that trembled and erupted with vicious explosions. Through this, sometimes obscured by the smoke and dust, the men moved, and, as they advanced, the fire kept pace with them, leaving behind the still shapes of fallen men among the camel bush and sand.”
Initially his fellow soldiers from the 2/48th buried him in the field at Tel El Eisa with others from his Battalion killed at a similar time. The news of his death and others who had fallen with him was announced in the August edition of the Adelaide Chronicle. SX7254 Pte. Robert T. Elliott, 2/48th Adelaide. SX7354 Pte. Herbert. C. P. Jones, 2/48th, Yundi, SX7877 L-Cpl. Blake H. Mclnnes, 2/48th Lancaster, SX7343 Fte. John E. Miller, 2/48th Parkside. SX7535 Cpl. Patrick O'Loughlin, 2/48th Plnnaroo. SX8094 Cpl. Walter H. Promnitz, 2/48th Waikerie. SX8881 Pte. James McA. Sutherland, 2/48th Millicent. SX11350 Pte. Keith E. Treagus, 2/48th Kyancutta.
The Melbourne Argus also carried a feature that ‘ Pte Robert Thomas Elliott reported killed in action, saw 2 years active service with the AIF and was one of the Rats of Tobruk. He was the eldest of 6 sons of Mr and Mrs Thomas Elliott of South Warrnambool all of whom are in the AIF. One of the brothers has returned wounded.’
With peace declared, in March ’45 Robert, and his fellow soldiers were permanently moved to now rests in the El Alamein War Cemetery where he is in Plot A2 Row E Grave 2. By that stage aged 52, his mother had died in ’45 and his father Robert died aged 64 in March ’51. Both are buried in the Catholic section of the Warrnambool Cemetery in Victoria. However, their deaths meant that Robert’s headstone carries no inscription, which was unusual for Catholic families. It does, however bear a cross. Alongside Robert are his fellow soldiers from the 2/48th Battalion. They include 26-year-old Corporal Tasman Scutt SX8011, 27-year-old Pte Murray T. Nicholson SX10522, 22-year-old Pte Roy H Merritt SX13495 and 24-year-old Arthur G. Randall WX10146 plus two unknown soldiers from the AIF all of whom were killed during the ferocious fighting in 1942.
His medals, the 39/45 Star, African Star, Defence Medal, War Medal and Australian Service Medal plus a scroll were all posted in February ’53. However, by that time both Robert’s parents were deceased. By ’93, Robert’s youngest brother, Charles Bruce attempted to track these original medals but this search appeared unsuccessful.
Written and researched by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.