SAPPER HARRY ROBINSON
5736 – Australian Electrical and Mechanical Mining and Boring Company
Born in Newcastle, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Northumberland, England, Harry Robinson was resident in New Zealand by 1914.
4/20 Sapper Harry Robinson enlisted at the Clarendon Hotel, Wellington and named as his Next-of-Kin his mother Mrs Christina Robinson of 17 Blythe Street, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England.
He embarked for overseas service with the Railway Engineers on 5 August 1914, bound for Samoa.
This unit formed as the Railway Battalions New Zealand Engineers in October 5, 1911. Later it was called the New Zealand Railway Corps. It was renamed New Zealand Railway Battalions on 1 July 1913 and formed part of the Samoa Advance Force in 1914.
The Unit was disbanded 1 December 1921
“Capture of German Samoa - NZ troops arrive in German Samoa
When war broke out in Europe in August 1914, Britain asked New Zealand to seize German Samoa as a ‘great and urgent Imperial service’. New Zealand's response was swift. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Logan, the 1385-strong Samoa Advance Party of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force landed at Apia on 29 August. There was no resistance from German officials or Samoa's general population.
Logan's proclamation on 30 August established a New Zealand-run British Military Occupation of Samoa. The German flag was lowered and all buildings and properties belonging to the previous administration seized. In the presence of officers, troops and ‘leading Native chiefs’, the British flag was raised outside the government building at Apia.
The approximately 1400 soldiers of the Samoan expedition were all volunteers from New Zealand Territorial Force units. After their eight-month stint on German Samoa nearly all went on to join the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Middle East and France. By the war's end 210 of these men had been killed in action or died of wounds (163 died in France). A further five were killed while serving with the Australian Imperial Force. [Abridged]
[Full text and images of the New Zealanders in Samoa can be found at :
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/interactive/nz-troops-arrive-annex-samoa-1914]
German Viewpoint
The New Zealand occupation
Although, the Governor had been promised to be deported to Fiji, he was taken to Auckland, New Zealand as a prisoner of war on 2 September 1914, together with his secretary, Mars, and the director of the wireless station, Hirsch.
The Germans on Samoa were not in any way impressed by the New Zealand troops in their heavy woollen uniforms, more useful for warfare in Europe than in the Southern Pacific. Further, the soldiers seemed very young and lacking in military training.
At first, the relationship was tolerable but during the next few months, and culminating around Christmas 1914, things turned out rather bad.
In the middle of September 1914 however, the situation changed when the German cruisers SMS SCHARNHORST and SMS GNEISENAU appeared at the mouth of the bay leading to the harbour in Apia. All Germans hoped that the occupation would soon be over, but in the end it turned out that the cruisers had more important things to do, and a message with this statement was delivered to Colonel Robert Logan from the German naval commander, Vice-Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee. The German morale sunk accordingly!
According to one source, several hundred New Zealand soldiers, bored by having nothing to do on this remote island, broke into some warehouses at the harbour on 26 December 1914 and "liberated" large quantities of alcohol, from which they have been barred since the occupation began.
According to another source, the situation went quite out of hand, and Colonel Robert Logan had to invent a threat from the German battlecruiser SMS VON DER TANN was observed in the Pacific Ocean heading for Samoa - a situation similar to the appearance of SMS SCHARNHORST and SMS GNEISENAU - in order to regain control of his force. This threat sobered -up the soldiers and they were ordered into the hills surrounding Apia to dig trenches and other fortifications.
In March 1915 the Samoan Relief Force relieved the Samoan Advance Force. This new force consisted of more mature men, many being veterans from the Boer War, and this eased the tension between the Germans and the occupational force.
[Taken from: http://www.chakoten.dk]
Above information was researched and provided by Sue Baker Wilson, New Zealand, our NZ Tunnelling Company associate.
See also on this site: Dispatches/New Zealand Tunnelling Company including their March 2010 Despatches
Harry Robinson underwent a medical examination in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW) on 16 November 1915, which found him to be ‘fit for active service’. It was recorded that Harry was 22 years and 10 months of age, 5ft 4¾ins tall, weighed 140lbs, had a fair complexion, blue eyes and brown curly hair.
He signed the ‘Attestation Paper of Persons Enlisted for Service Abroad’, and the Oath to ‘well and truly serve’, on 20 December 1915 at Sydney.
Harry recorded his trade as ‘Electric Biograph Operator and named as his Next-of-Kin his father, Campbell Robinson of 17 Blyth Street, Newcastle-on-Tyne.
He embarked at Sydney on 20 January 1916 on board HMAT A54 Runic with the 14th Reinforcements to the 3rd Field Company Engineers. He disembarked at Alexandria on 27 February, and proceeded to Tel-el-Kebir on 18 March.
Transferred to the 15th Field Company Engineers (15FCE), Harry was taken on strength of that unit on 18 March 1916 at Tel-el-Kebir. He was promoted to 2nd Corporal on 25 April.
15FCE embarked for the Overseas British Expeditionary Force on 18 June 1916 on board Kinsfaun Castle, disembarking at Marseilles on 29 June.
Harry was wounded in action on 20 July 1916 and admitted to No.8 Stationary Hospital, Wimereux, suffering a severe gunshot wound to his neck, and was admitted to the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station. He was transferred to Ambulance Train 101 on the same day and was admitted to 1 Convalescent Hospital at Boulogne on 26 July.
He was discharged from Hospital to Base Details on 1 August. On 6 August he marched in to 5 Div. Base Depot at Etaples. On 5 October he marched out to the Australian General Base Depot (AGBD) and taken on strength from 15FCE. He marched in to the 1st Base Motor Transport Depot at Rouen on 15 November 1916 from AGBD.
On 12 December 1916 he was granted leave of absence to 21 December and on 28 December marched out of Base Motor Transport Depot to AGBD for posting to his own unit.
Harry was admitted to the 1st Anzac MD Station with influenza on 16 January 1917 and on 18 January he was transferred to a Casualty Clearing Station. On 13 February he proceeded to England, ex AGBD, Etaples, and marched in to No.2 Command Depot, Weymouth on 17 February.
On 30 May 1917 he marched out to H&D Depot, Perham Downs, before proceeding overseas to France on 17 June, where he again marched in to the AGBD, Rouelles on 18 June. On 25 June he marched out to his unit and rejoined 15FCE on 28 June.
Harry was detached to 1 Anzac Pack Inspection School on 19 August and rejoined his unit on 26 August. On 5 November 1917 he was transferred to the Australian Electrical and Mechanical Mining and Boring Company (AEMMBC) from 15FCE and attached pending absorption. At his own request he reverted to Sapper rank. He was taken on strength of the AEMMBC on 1 August 1918.
Harry proceeded on leave from 5 to 20 December 1918. On 26 March 1919 he marched out to Havre for demobilisation, and marched in to No.2 Group, Codford, England on 3 April 1919.
On 22 April 1919, Harry marched out to Headquarters A.I.F., London, from where he was granted leave from 23 April 1919 to 5 October 1919, with pay and subsistence of 12 shillings per week; reason: Engineering - attending C.A. Parsons & Co. Ltd, Heaton Works, Newcastle-on-Tyne
He was returned to AEMMBC on 8 September due to cancellation of his leave and marched out to D.A.A.G.
Harry Robinson returned to Australia on board Ascanius, leaving London on 23 September 1919, and disembarking in Australian on 12 November.
He was discharged in 2nd Military District on 6 January 1920, entitled to wear the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Arundel Gore (Harry) Robinson married Daphne C. Waldron at Hornsby, NSW in 1925.
In 1928 Harry he attended a reunion of the AEMMBC & Tunnelling Coys, giving his address as c/o Ultimo Power House, Stafford, Wobsley Street, Kogarah.
In 1934 he again attended the reunion, changing his address to 53 Albert Street, Hornsby, and was still at that address when he attended the 1968 reunion.
In 1962 a claim for Repatriation Benefits was lodged with the New South Wales Branch of the Repatriation Commission.
Sydney Morning Herald - Saturday August 21, 1971
Sydney Morning Herald - Monday August 23, 1971
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