Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Robert’s parents, Welsh-born Hugo Robert and Gladys Blodwyn came to Australia in 1914 with their two-year-old son, Haydn Hugh Hart, born in 1912 at Swansea. They eventually settled in the Adelaide area where Hugo was one of the early enlistees in the Great War, joining on the 1st January 1917. He was allocated the rank of Private 4745 in the 43rd Battalion. By the time he sailed for France at the end of June, Gladys was expecting her second child, Robert John Westley, who was born on the 13th October that year. (Soon after, in December, Hugo was fighting in France.) Sadly, Robert did not meet his father who was killed in France, during the Battle of Amiens on the 11th August when Robert was just ten months old. (32-year-old Hugo was buried in Heath Cemetery Harbonnieres.)
Young Robert was very fortunate to survive past his 9th birthday when he fell from the Semaphore Jetty. He was fortunately saved by a Harbors’ Board engine driver, John Taylor and Don Allan, a student at the Technical School who leapt into the sea, saving Robert from drowning. Both received a bronze medal from the Humane Society in January ’24.
This incident prompted Robert to become a proficient swimmer as well as playing football in winter, a sport he was also involved with at Christian Brothers’ College.
With the fast development of the motor car, by the 1920’s Richard’s car factory expanded to Forestville, with mass production in the 1926 era and adding Chrysler to its contracts in the 1930’s. Robert was involved working with the company, eventually becoming a professional upholsterer.
Robert married Doris Florence May with the two living in Unley. Soon after, aged 25, he enlisted to serve on the 29th June 1940 and was allocated the number SX6882. He was quickly promoted to Acting Sergeant whist training at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills. Following pre-embarkation leave he embarked on the Stratheden on the 7th November, heading for the Middle East, arriving on the 17th December. The desert conditions exacerbated Robert’s skin condition, dermatitis.
During his time in the Middle East, Robert was to become one of the famed and highly respected Rats of Tobruk. This derogatory term was designed by the enemy to reduce morale of the Australian troops who were ‘living like rats’ in their sandy dugouts. Not unexpectedly, the men adopted the term, with it becoming a badge of pride and camaraderie.
As with his own birth, his daughter, Rosalind arrived in July 41 whilst her father was serving overseas. He finally met her when the battalion returned to Australia via Melbourne in February ’43. (The two later added a son, Robert (who carried on the family first name.)
Over the war years, Robert’s widowed mother, Gladys lived with her older son, Hayden and his wife Margaret, who had married in December ’36.
Training in Queensland followed as Robert prepared to meet a very different enemy in the tropical conditions of New Guinea. He arrived in August ’43 and as did so many of those in his battalion, contracted a high fever (Pyrexia of Unknown Origin) and Malaria before returning to Brisbane in February. Both illnesses continued to return, with Robert eventually spending time recuperating in the Kapara Convalescent Home. Ill health, fibrosis, back problems and malaria continued to plague Robert, added to which his left index finger was later amputated.
Aged 30 Robert was finally discharged on the 17th June ’45.
Doris pre-deceased Robert and died aged 75 on the 3rd of June ’88. Aged 74, Robert died on the 9th February, ’89 at Blair Athol before being interred in the Enfield Memorial Park Cemetery in General Plot D S 90 near Doris.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.