FORD, Robert
| Service Number: | 3296 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 29 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 15th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 4 September 1890 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 8 July 1926, aged 35 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Toowong (Brisbane General) Cemetery, Queensland Plot 15A-7-15/16 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 29 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3296, 15th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 3296, 15th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Seang Bee embarkation_ship_number: A48 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 3296, 15th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Seang Bee, Brisbane |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Robert Ford was the son of James and Mary Ford, and he was one of five children, the family hailing from West End, Brisbane, Queensland.
Three of the Ford brothers enlisted during WW1, two being killed in action and the third was a prisoner of war for over 18 months, before he died in 1926, at 35 years of age.
William (22 years of age) and Robert (24 years of age) enlisted in the AIF together on 29 July 1915, joining the 11th Reinforcements of the 15th Battalion and being assigned the numbers 3298 and 3296 respectively.
Robert served with the 15th Battalion and was captured by the Germans on 1 February 1917. On that date a group of 70 men from C Company of the 15th Battalion were sent out to take a German advance post at Gueudecourt. They held it for a time but their bombs ran out and the Germans came up in large numbers. The Germans took a number of prisoners, the operation lasting from 7p.m. on 1st February until about 4 a.m. the next morning.
While he was a prisoner, his brother 3298 Pte. William Ford 47th Battalion AIF was killed in action at Messines on 7 June 1917.
The other brother, 4789 Pte. James Ford 15th Battalion AIF was also killed by a shell in France on 27 March 1918.
Robert was released and returned to England during December 1918 and returned to his parents in Brisbane, Queensland during March 1919.
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