William James Denham ROBINSON

B: 6th Jan 1901 D: 6th Jul 1977

Born: 6th January 1901 at Walters Well in the district of Frome. It is located near Mt Lyndhurst, not far from Farina.

1st Marriage: William married Kathleen Victoria BOYS (B: D: 17/6/1984) on 28th Nov 1925 at St Margarets Anglican Church in Woodville, SA

2nd Marriage: William married Olive Alice ROBINSON. Olive died on the 19th July 1982 in Flora McDonald Lodge, Cowandilla SA.

Died: 6th July 1977 at the Repatriation General Hospital, Daw Park, SA, of Cardiac Arrhythmia and Myocardial Infarction. He is Buried in the Centennial Park Cemetery at Pasadena in South Australia

Father: William John ROBINSON B: 1865 D:

Mother: Mary Ann WARNER B: 1879 D: 13th January 1901 Mary died at Mt Lyndhurst Station with a stated residence of Myrtle Station

Siblings:

Children from first marriage:
Stella Kathleen Clara ROBINSON B: 24/8/1927 D: 5th April 2024
Elsie Irene Mary ROBINSON B: 1929 D: 2016
Winfred May ROBINSON B: 1931 D: 1931
James ‘Jim” Percival Thomas ROBINSON B: 1932 D: 2012
Frederick ‘Freddie’ ROBINSON B: 1937 D: 1937
William ‘Billy’ John ROBINSON B: 1940 D: 1977
Marleen Victoria ROBINSON B: 1944 D:

Children from second marriage: None

William was born at Walters Well, not far from Lyndhurst in South Australia, where his father William John Robinson ran the mail service up to Innaminka. Records indicate that his mother, Mary Ann Robinson, died not long after his birth on the 13th January 1901.

It appears that William was keen to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force from the start of World War 1, and his AIF records indicate that he had tried to enlist and was rejected for being underage. However this mustn’t have deterred him as he successfully enlisted at the Naranderra (in NSW) recruiting office on the 23rd March 1918. However young William was still a little young, so he assumed the name of Charles Robison and stated his date of birth as 3rd January 1900, making him over 18, even though his real date of birth is the 6th January 1901. At the time of enlistment he stated his occupation as a Jockey.

He undertook service with the AIF in Europe and was discharged on the 8th October 1919.

In 1922 he put out a missing persons report with the police as to the whereabouts of his father, William John Robinson, to no avail has never been able to locate him.

It appears that on discharge from the AIF, William took up work with the South Australian Railways as there is a record of correspondence sent to an address of “No 2 Gang, Copley North Line” in 1923.

On the 28th November 1925 William married Kathleen Victoria BOYS at the Woodville North Church in Adelaide. On the 24th August 1927, Kathleen gave birth to their daughter Stella Kathleen Clara ROBINSON.

At the time he was married to Kathleen, he was living at Carrieton SA, and they then moved to 7 Shepard St. Queensbury, a Suburb of Adelaide at the time.

William served in the 2/8th Field Ambulance, 9th Division 2nd AIF, and was wounded in action at the siege of Tobruk in Libya on the 4th May 1941 and eventually discharged due to his wounds in 1942. In a newspaper report in the Adelaide Advertise on the 1st Dec 1941, it was reported that Sargeant W.J.D Robinson, of the medical staff, was wounded in a leg and hand when German dive bombers attacked a dressing station in Tobruk. He said that the Germans paid scant attention to the Red Crosses over the dressing stations.

William re-enlisted in the 2nd AIF on the 2nd June 1942, and although no longer fit for front line role due to his previous wounds sustained in combat, he joined the Catering School and served until discharge in 1944, leaving at the rank of Warrant Officer 2.

He Married for a second Time to Olive Alice Robinson, although so far no records have revealed further details including her surname. They lived for a time at 54 Lane Street at Richmond, Adelaide SA.

He lived in Brinkworth in 1949 and earlier, and was employed as a Ganger in the Railways. He was also a manager for the Brinkworth Football Club, and a Masseur Trainer for the Port Adelaide Football Club in SA. He went to war with Port Player Bobby Quinn.

William passed away on the 6th July 1977 at the Repatriation General Hospital, Daw Park, SA, of Cardiac Arrhythmia and Myocardial Infarction. He is Buried in the Centennial Park Cemetery at Pasadena in South Australia

Note that the following dates and events are extracted from the service records available. Not all events may be listed. For full information please review the records directly – see the Further Reading tab.

World War 1

23/3/1918	William enlists at Narandeera in NSW under the name of Charles Robison and states his DOB as 3rd January 1900. The form identifies that he has previously been rejected due to being underage. He also gives is next of kin as a brother, Michael Robinson. At this time we have not been able to trace Michael Robinson. His service number is 59172. He states his trade at time of enlistment as a Jockey, and place of residence Leeton, NSW.
25/3/1918	Charles Robison signs Statutory Declaration to declare that both his parents are deceased and he has no legal guardian, and that he was born at Farina SA on the 3/1/1900.
26/3/1918	Posted to recruits depot Liverpool. 1st Battalion
28/4/1918	1st Infantry Depot Battalion, B Company. Rank Private.
5/7/1918	1st Infantry Depot Battalion, A Company. Rank Private.
17/7/1918	Embarked ship A30 at Sydney
1/8/1918	In hospital on ship with Pharyngitis for 5 days
27/9/1918	Disembarked A30 in London
28/9/1918	Rifle 17th Battalion Fovant
1/8/1919	Return to Australia on “Argyleshire”
22/9/1919	Disembarked in Australia
8/10/1919	Discharged at Sydney. Termination of period of enlistment.
16/2/1923	British General Service Medal issued to Private C Robison Transport Driver and posted to No 2 Gang, Copley North Line, South Australia.
3/6/1927	South Australian Soldiers Fund writes to the Army requesting details of service for W.J.D. Robinson as he has made a request to them for assistance
10/6/1927	OIC Base Records replies saying that 59172 W.J.D. Robinson cannot be found however the records for a Private Charles Robison has been located and appear identical to the enquiry.
19/11/1938	Charles Robison of Railway Cottage, Brinkworth, signs a statutory declaration to declare that he lost his Discharge Certificate in a heavy rain storm.
27/9/1962	Charles Robson of 17 Rowland Rd, Hilton SA, in a statutory declaration, declares the loss of his Discharge Certificate in heavy rains whilst driving in the far north of SA.

World War 2 – First Enlistment

18/6/1940	William James Denham Robinson enlists in Adelaide, SA, in the Field Ambulance, AIF. Service number SX5626. He states his place of birth as Farina SA and DOB 6/1/1901. His occupation is Railway Packer and First Aid Attendant. His address is 7 Shephard St, Queensbury, SA and next of kin his wife, Kathleen Victoria Robinson.
21/6/1940	Reported for duty at R.R.D.
25/11/1940	Pre-embarkation leave – 9 days.
23/12/1940	Entrained 4MD to 3MD for embarkation.
29/12/1940	Embarked HMATT2
3/2/1941	Disembarked
23/3/1941	Promoted to Corporal
26/4/1941	Promoted to Sergeant Cook.
4/5/1941	Serving with the 2/8th Field Ambulance in Tobruk, William suffers injuries in action. Wounds: Gunshot wound to right leg, Compound fracture of tibia, right hand traumatic, amputation of middle finger, scalp wound.
5/5/1041	Evacuated to 4AGH. Transferred to ‘X’ list. (AGH = Australian General Hospital)
18/5/1941	Evacuated from 4AGH to 11AGH.
20/5/1941	Evacuated from 11AGH to 2AGH
22/9/1941	Medical classification issued by the medical board: Permanently unfit for service.
29/10/1941	Embarked in the Middle East for return to Australia.
29/11/1941	Disembarked 4MD Ex 2/2 Australian Hospital Ship
2/12/1941	Admitted to hospital in Wayville
1/6/1942	Discharged from service

World War 2 – Second Enlistment

2/6/1942	William immediately went to the enlistment office in Port Adelaide and enlisted again in the AIF, service number S44034. He listed his occupation as a Railway Packer although currently unemployed, as the previous day he had been discharged from the AIF. He was deemed fit for Class II service.
7/6/1942	He was taken on strength and promoted to the rank of Sergeant.
19/8/1942	Transferred to the Cooking School, Warradale.
12/4/1942	Promoted to Warrant Officer 2
8/9/1942	Transferred to the Australian AAC in NSW
11/10/1943	Demoted to rank of Sergeant (at own request)
15/11/1943	Detached to OCTU Woodside
7/3/1944	Discharged from service. His stated address is 109 Henley Beach Rd, Mile End SA.