Robinson STRACHAN

STRACHAN, Robinson

Service Number: 21
Enlisted: 25 April 1915
Last Rank: Driver
Last Unit: 7th Infantry Brigade Headquarters
Born: Bonhill, Dunbartonshire, Scotland, November 1880
Home Town: South Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland
Schooling: Public School, Bonhill, Dumbartonshire, Scotland
Occupation: Grocer and engineer
Died: Diabetes, Barracks Hospital, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom, Australia, 25 December 1919
Cemetery: Bonhill Parish Churchyard
Responsive To His Empire’s Call He Gave His Life He Gave His All, Bonhill Parish Churchyard, Bonhill, Dunbarton, Scotland, United Kingdom, Hobart (Queenborough) Cemetery, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Tree Plaque: Roma Heroes Avenue
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour
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World War 1 Service

25 Apr 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Driver, 21, 7th Infantry Brigade Headquarters
29 Jun 1915: Involvement Driver, 21, 7th Infantry Brigade Headquarters, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: ''
29 Jun 1915: Embarked Driver, 21, 7th Infantry Brigade Headquarters, HMAT Aeneas, Brisbane
25 Dec 1919: Involvement Driver, 21, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 21 awm_unit: 7th Australian Infantry Brigade awm_rank: Driver awm_died_date: 1919-12-25

Help us honour Robinson Strachan's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Evan Evans

The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland 

Merry Christmas to all my readers & followers.... even though it is Christmas - sadly soldiers still died on this day!

Died on this date – 25th December…… Robinson Strachan was born at Bonhill, Dunbartonshire, Scotland in 1880.

Robinson Strachan travelled from Glasgow to Massachusetts in 1907 then in 1908 from Pennsylvania, United States to Liverpool, England.

He was listed as a passenger on Whakatane which had departed from London on 27th November, 1909 & arrived in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia on 21st January, 1910. Also listed were Robinson’s brothers – Jas. T. Strachan, Farmer, aged 34, Peter Strachan, Farmer, aged 28 & Norman Strachan, Farmer, aged 25.

Robinson Strachan enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 10th May, 1915 as a 34 year old, Grocer & Engineer from South Brisbane, Queensland.
Driver Robinson Strachan embarked from Brisbane on HMAT Aeneas (A60) on 29th June, 1915 with 7th Infantry Brigade, Headquarters Staff.

He was admitted to 6th Field Ambulance on 3rd February, 1916 then transferred the same day to No. 2 Australian Stationary Hospital at Tel-el-Kebir with haemorrhoids. He was discharged to duty on 29th February, 1916.

On 14th March, 1916 Driver Strachan proceeded to join B.E.F. (British Expeditionary Force) from Alexandria & disembarked at Marseilles, France on 19th March, 1916.

He was admitted to 7th Field Ambulance on 17th December, 1916 with Rheumatism & discharged to his Unit on 26th December, 1916.

Driver Robinson Strachan was reported with his Unit – 7th Brigade Headquarters on 10th December, 1918.
He was on Leave to England from 12th December, 1918 to 26th December, 1918.

On 24th January, 1919 he was marked for transfer to England – ready for return to Australia. He disembarked in England on 30th January, 1919.
Driver Strachan was written up for an Offence while posted at Hurdcott, Wiltshire – Absent without leave from 09.30 hrs on 4th March, 1919 to 17.00 hrs on 31st March, 1919. He was awarded a forfeiture of 28 days pay with a total forfeiture of 56 days on 1st April, 1919.

He was admitted to 3rd Western General Hospital at Neath, England on 11th April, 1919 suffering from Debility.

On 31st August, 1919 Driver Strachan was transferred to St. John’s Hospital Barry Island, Barry.
Driver Strachan was reported as dangerously ill at Cardiff Military Hospital on 29th October, 1919. He was reported as still dangerously ill on 29th November, 1919 & was reported as still being a patient at Military Hospital Cardiff on 3rd December, 1919 with Diabetes.

Driver Robinson Strachan died at 3.10 pm on 25th December, 1919 at Barracks Hospital, Cardiff, Wales from Diabetes.

He was buried in Bonhill Parish Churchyard, Dumbarton, Scotland.

(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/dumbarton.html

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