ROBERTSON, Roy Harry
| Service Number: | 5774 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Gordon, New South Wales, Australia, 1900 |
| Home Town: | Gordon, Ku-ring-gai, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France , 5 November 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 3 Jun 1916: | Involvement Private, 5774, 3rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Kyarra embarkation_ship_number: A55 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Jun 1916: | Embarked Private, 5774, 3rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Kyarra, Sydney |
Help us honour Roy Harry Robertson's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Eloise Hanlon
Private Roy Harry Robertson was an infantryman in the 3rd Batallion of the Imperial Forces. Originating from Gordon, NSW, Australia, he enlisted with the Imperial Forces of Australia and became a letter carrier. He later became an infantry member on the front lines in Fleurs, France during WW1. He was affectionately named "Robbo" and was described as being quite fair by his comrades. As reported by his father, he was only 16 years of age when he lost his life alongside fellow infantryman P. Doyle, as the result of an enemy shelling. A memorial headstone in remembrance for Private Robertson erected by parents John and Bessie resides at St. Johns Old Cemetery, in his hometown of Gordon in Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Biography contributed by Eloise Hanlon
Private Roy Harry Robertson enlisted with the AIF on the 29th of January 1916. Robertson was eager to serve his country. As is the case with many young men at the time, Robertson lied about his age to enlist.
While the relevant enlistment forms which are publicly available through the National Australian Archives (NAA) state him aged as 18 years and 2 months at the time of his enlistment, confirmation from his father John Robertson through both a newspaper article and an erected memorial state that at the time of his death in November of 1916 he was only 16 years old. It is likely that Roy was only 15 years old when he enlisted at Liverpool NSW, in January of 1916.
Robertson had blue eyes, blonde hair and stood at 5'6.
In recognition for his brave and courageous service, his father posthumously received a memorial plaque and scroll in 1922, and a victory medal in 1923.
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