Lot 3298

Description

Pair to KIA: British War Medal 1914-18; Victory Medal 1914-19. 6093 Pte. J.Robertson 38 bn. A.I.F. Both medals impressed. Display mounted, extremely fine.

Together with modern 38 Aust Infy Bn colour patch on descriptive card.

James Robertson, compositor, age 31, born at Stawell, Vic (Medical History shows birthplace as Callwadda, Vic - this is in same Wimmera region as Stawell); Enl.10Jun1916 at Horsham, Vic in 19Refts 6Bn; Emb.from Melbourne and Disemb.11Sep1916 at Plymouth; TOS 6Bn 30Sep1916; to France with 38Bn 28Nov1916; KIA 08Jun1917 in the field, Belgium and buried in a shell hole; commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, leper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.

A report of the loss of Pte Robertson written on 7 August 1919 reads as follows. 'He was killed in action, together with several others, on the morning of 8.6.17. The party were sitting talking, having just completed "digging in" when they were killed instantaneously by the burst of a high explosive shell in the front line trench. He was buried during the afternoon (under fire) in a large shell hole a few yards back of the trench, the approximate position of same being 1500 yards South South West of Messines. A cross was not erected at the time owing to the fact that operations were in progress.'

With some research.