Ancestor Details
Ancestor's Name: William Joseph Robinson
Ancestor's date of birth: 27/12/1881
Ancestor's date of death: 23/07/1952
Cause of Death: heart disease
Service and Life Before the Boer War: A carpenter from Fitzroy, Victoria although his Scottish Horse enlistment shows his residence at Clifton Hill.
Service Number: 408
Colony or State of enlistment: VIC, Place of Enlistment: Langwarrin
Unit: 2nd Australian Commonwealth Horse
Rank attained in Boer War: TPR, Date Effective: 15/03/1901
Highest Rank attained (if served after war): WO2, Date Effective: 04/09/1939
Murray Page: 310
Contingent: First Australian
Ship: SS St Andrew, Date of Sailing: 12/02/1902
Other Boer War Service: Served as Trooper No 31714 2nd Scottish Horse. Enlisted 15-3-1901 discharged on completion of service 14-9-1901. Traveled to South Africa in early 1901 on the SS Orient
Memorial details: Buried Fawkner Cemetery, Melbourne
Awards/Decorations/Commendations: Queen's South Africa Medal with Transvaal, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, SA 1901, SA 1902. 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal. The War Medal 1939-45, The Australia Service Medal 1939-45.
Personal Characteristics: 175 centimetres tall, fair complexion, hazel eyes, brown hair. Described as having exemplary conduct on his Scottish Horse records.
Reasons to go and fight: Desire to serve his country
Details of service in war: The second Scottish Horse regiment started in Colonel Benson's column in the Eastern Transvaal, under Major Murray, Black Watch, and, thanks to Colonel Benson's good guidance, speedily became one of the best corps in the country, and never degenerated, even after his death. Their first serious skirmish was at Roodekrantz, on April 30th, 1901, when one man was killed, 4 officers and one man wounded. Their next (on 3rd July 1901) at Eland's Hoek [Kloof in the despatches, see Mentions], when three men were killed and nine wounded". The officers wounded at Roodekrantz were Captains M W H Linday and A M Creagh, and Lieutenants Oscar Hamilton and C S Long-Innes. The despatches report Colonel Benson's operations in some detail, and the Scottish Horse are invariably mentioned in terms of credit. On 9th and 10th July 1901, near Dullstroom, north of the Delagoa Bay Railway, they are said to have pursued the enemy in a northerly direction, and to have captured some waggons. On the 11th the regiment was detached on a wide detour, during which they successfully located and captured 6 prisoners, 40 horses, and 24 vehicles belonging to Viljoen's commando, which were hidden in a kloof in the Tautesberg. On 15th July, at Wagen Drift, Lieutenants O W Kelly and M'Letchie and 4 men were wounded. In August, September, and October Benson operated south of the Delagoa Railway, and was most successful in rushing laagers after long night marches, taking a large number of armed Boers and immense quantities of cattle and transport. For their fine work Lord Kitchener bestowed on the column and its gifted leader the highest praise. But to few soldiers is it given to know nothing but unqualified success. It will be remembered that at the end of September 1901 a great concentration of Boers was reported in the Vryheid district. After making most determined but unsuccessful! attacks on Forts Itala and Prospect, the enemy was driven from the south-east corner of the Transvaal.
2ACH service March - May 1902 on Natal border and west Transvaal.Service and life after the Boer War: Served World War 1 as Corporal No 14 2nd Field Company Australian Engineers, in Gallipoli , Egypt and France 1914-1919. Served on home service in World War 2 as WO2 no V83852 Army Service Corps
Descendant Details
Name of Descendant: Gordon Robinson, East Doncaster VIC
Relationship to Ancestor: Son
