Can you help find Robert Robertson?

There are very few records available for Robert. He was born on 23 October 1891 in Moyston, Victoria to Mary Robertson, but birth was registered under the surname Taylor, with no father recorded. He also had a sister, Christina Robertson. Robert’s mother, Mary (1861–1950), was born near Benalla, Victoria, the daughter of John Robertson and Christina McDonald. She lived until 1950. This branch of Robertsons and McDonalds arrived in Victoria about 1854 from the Isle of Skye, northwest Scotland.

From the birth certificates of Robert and his sister, we know their grandmother Christina Robertson was ‘in attendance’ at their births. At some stage the family moved to Melbourne’s northern suburbs, Carlton and then Essendon. His sister Christina married James McDonnell in 1909 and had two daughters — Catherine Mary (1910–1962) and Lucy Margaret (1914-1980). Little is recorded about Robert’s childhood and schooling. He probably attended school in the northern suburbs of Melbourne.

By the time he enlisted he had moved to Queensland and was working as a gardener. He his address was in care of Dr Weedon, a medical practitioner, Sandgate Road, Clayfield, a Brisbane suburb.

Robert enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 31 August 1915 in Brisbane, Queensland. At the time, he was 24 years old, working as a gardener, and gave his next of kin as his sister Christina at 114 O’Connell Street, North Melbourne, Victoria. Robert was assigned to the 26th Australian Infantry Battalion, 9th Reinforcements, and began training at the Enoggera Camp in Brisbane. Life at the camp was a major change for the new recruits, who lived under canvas in rows of white tents.

Robert embarked from Brisbane on 31 January 1916 aboard HMAT A62 Wandilla. for the month-long trip to the camps in Egypt. In early April, he was reassigned to the 31st Battalion while they were at the Duntroon Plateau camp. The 31st was made up from Queenslanders and Victorians. On 15 June, the 31st Battalion began to make their way to the Western Front, first by train from Moascar to Alexandria and then sailing to Marseilles. A, B and D companies were aboard the troopship Hororata and Robert’s C company was aboard the Manitou.

After disembarking on 23 June, they were immediately boarded onto trains to Steenbeque and then marched to their camp at Morbecque, 35 km from Fleurbaix in northern France, arriving on 26 June. The battalion strength was 1019 soldiers. The area near Fleurbaix was known as the “Nursery Sector” – a supposedly relatively quiet area where inexperienced Allied troops could learn the harsh realities of Western Front trench warfare against the Germans. But the quiet times and the training period did not last long. Training continued, now with how to handle poisonous gas included in their regimen.

They began their move towards Fromelles on 8 July and by 11 July they were into the trenches for the first time, in relief of the 15th Battalion.

The overall plan was to use brigades from the Australian Fifth Division to conduct a diversionary assault on the German trenches at Fromelles. The main attack was planned for the 17th, but bad weather caused it to be postponed. On the 19th they were back into the trenches and in position at 4.00 PM. The Zero Hour for advancing from their front-line trenches was to be 5.45 PM, but the Germans knew this attack was coming and were well-prepared:

The assault began at 5.58 PM and they went forward in four waves, A and C Company in the first two waves and B and D Company in the 3rd and 4th waves. There were machine gun emplacements to their left and directly ahead at Delrangre Farm and there was heavy artillery fire in No-Man’s-Land. The pre battle bombardment did have a big impact and by 6.30 PM the Aussies were in control of the German’s 1st line system (Trench B in the diagram below), which was described as “practically a ditch with from 1 to 2 feet of mud and slush at the bottom.”

Source - AWM4 23/49/12, 32nd Battalion War Diaries, July 1916, page 11

Unfortunately, with the success of their attack, ‘friendly’ artillery fire caused a large number of casualties. By 8.30 PM the Australians’ left flank had come under heavy bombardment with high explosives and shrapnel. Return bombardment support was provided and the 32nd, who also had the job of holding the flank to the left of the 31st, were told that “the trenches were to be held at all costs”.

Source - AWM4 23/49/12, 32nd Battalion War Diaries, July 1916, page 12

Fighting continued through the night. The Australians made a further charge at the main German line beyond Trench B, but they were low on grenades, there was machine-gun fire from behind from the emplacement at Delangre Farm and they were so far advanced that they were getting shelled by both sides. At 4.00 AM the Germans began an attack from the Australian’s left flank, bombing and advancing into Trench A (map).

Given the Australian advances that had been made earlier, portions of the rear Trench E had been left almost empty, which then enabled the Germans to be in a position to surround the soldiers. At 5.30 AM the Germans attacked from both flanks in force and with bombing parties. Having only a few grenades left themselves, the only resistance the 31st could offer was with rifles.

The 31st were out of the trenches by the end of the day on the 20th. From the 1019 soldiers who left Egypt, the initial impact was assessed as 77 soldiers were killed or died from wounds, 414 were wounded and 85 were missing. To get some perspective of the battle, when Charles Bean, Australia’s official war historian, attended the battlefield two and half years later, he observed a large quantity of bones, torn uniforms and Australian kit still on the battlefield.

The ultimate total was that 162 soldiers were either killed or died from wounds and of this total 82 were missing/unidentified. The bravery of the soldiers of the 31st was well recognised by their own Battalion commanders.

Among the missing was Private Robert Robertson. He was initially reported as wounded and missing. A Court of Enquiry held in the field on 1 August 1917 confirmed that he had been killed in action on 21 July 1916. However, It is now understood that many men of the 31st Battalion were mistakenly recorded as having died on 21 July the date the report was prepared, when in fact they fell during the night assault of 19 –20 July 1916.

Because of this clerical error, Robert and others were commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, and not at VC Corner Cemetery, where most of the Fromelles dead with no known grave are remembered.

Also in Robert’s records is an undated item that cites him as “buried”, but there are no further details. This comment is in a number of other soldier’s files.

While Robert’s sister was nominated as his next of kin there are no records of the Army being able to contact her. After trying to distribute Robert’s medals, Base Records wrote to her In September 1922 at 114 O’Connell Streed, North Melbourne reminding her to respond so that Robert’s service medals could be issued:

The last record in his file is “Untraceable”.

We do not know if his mother ever knew of what happened to Robert, but she did live to 90 years old, dying in Essendon in 1950.

Robert’s service and sacrifice ensure that, while little may be known of him, he is not forgotten. After the battle, the Germans recovered 250 Australian soldiers and placed them in a burial pit at Pheasant Wood. This grave was discovered in 2008 and since then efforts have been underway to identify these soldiers by DNA testing from family members. As of 2024, 180 of the soldiers have been identified, including 23 of the 82 unidentified soldiers from the 31st Battalion.

We welcome all branches of Robert’s family to come forward to donate DNA to help with his identification. If you know anything of family contacts, especially those with roots in Moyston, Victoria and all the way back to the Isle of Skye Scotland, please contact the Fromelles Association.

We hope that one day Robert will be named and honoured with a known grave.

Please visit Fromelles.info to follow the ongoing identification project and Robert’s story.

### DNA samples are being sought for family connections to