Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Robert Evans, the second of the Evans Brothers to enlist, presented himself for enlistment in Toowoomba on 15th October 1915. Robert’s enlistment papers indicate that at the time he was living in Roma with his step father, William Harris. Other records indicate that William Harris’s wife; Elizabeth lived at Logan Road, Mount Gravatt, and it can be assumed that she was Robert’s step mother.

Robert had just turned 18 and normal practice was for men of such a young age to provide permission from both parents (if living). There is no such document in Robert’s file. It is possible that Robert’s step father accompanied him to Toowoomba from Roma and provided permission orally; however, it is clear from older brother Joe’s file that the biological father, Thomas Evans, was living in Brisbane.

Robert was drafted from a depot battalion at Enoggera into the 16th reinforcements of the 9th Battalion and embarked for overseas in Sydney on 31st March 1916. Robert arrived in Port Said on 15th May and was immediately hospitalised with mumps. Contagious diseases such as mumps were common on the troop transports and in the training camps. By the time Robert was fit to leave hospital, the 9th Battalion was already on the Western Front. He proceeded to the large British Training Depot at Etaples on the French Coast south of Boulogne; finally joining his battalion on the 29th July 1916. The 9th Battalion had just come out of the line at Pozieres, where his elder brother Joe would be killed a week later.

The 9th Battalion continued with operations in the Somme up until the end of 1916 and then went into winter quarters in Flanders. On 5th January, Robert presented to a Field Ambulance with a septic toe. Injuries to feet were quite common in infantry battalions and were often caused by ill fitting boots, marching on the rough cobbled roads of rural France, or exposure to mud and cold. Robert returned to his unit one month later but was back in hospital with the same complaint by early March. On this occasion, Robert was sent to a military hospital in England for two months.

After discharge from hospital, Robert was granted 2 weeks leave in England before returning to his unit in Flanders on 24th June 1917. At this stage of the war, Haig had switched his offensive from the Somme to the ground around the important town of Ypres in Belgium. The offensive began with a well planned attack on the Messines Ridge, just to the south of Ypres. The 1st and 2nd Australian Divisions would continue the offensive towards the high ground of Broodseinde and Passchendaele along the Menin Road. The battle of Menin Road began on the 20th September and in the initial assault, Robert received a shrapnel wound to his right hand. The wound was obviously quite severe as Robert would remain in hospital in France until May 1918.

When the bulk of the Australian Corps had been brought from rest areas in Flanders back to the Somme in early April 1918 to counter the German offensive; Operation Michael, the 1st Division remained in Flanders to repel a similar German offensive around Hazebrouk. Upon returning to his unit, Robert would have found himself again amidst severe fighting. With the threat in Flanders repelled, Robert was granted three weeks leave in England in August 1918. He obviously enjoyed himself as upon his return he was hospitalised with Venereal Disease for a period of 51 days. VD was treated as a self-inflicted illness and the normal procedure was for a soldier who was afflicted to be docked pay for the time spent in hospital.

By October 1918, Monash as the Australian Corps Commander had been instructed by the Australian Prime Minister (Billy Hughes) to withdraw all Australian Divisions from front line action. Battalions were down to less than half strength and there were no more reinforcements available. The armistice of 11th November was a welcome relief for an exhausted Australian Corps.

The task of repatriating close to 300,000 men from Europe back to Australia fell on Monash, and was delayed considerably by the lack of suitable troop transports. While awaiting passage home, Robert again presented to hospital with VD, this time hospitalized for 69 days.

Robert was finally discharged from the army in Brisbane on 21 October 1919, almost four years exactly since his enlistment. He had joined as a young 18 year old boy; but returned no doubt a different man. The records give no clue as to Robert’s life after the war. He did not apply for repatriation benefits or partial disability pension and all further trace of him was lost.