AITKEN, Robert Francis
(Service number 14044)
| First Rank | Rifleman | Last Rank | Private |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 25/08/1895 | Place of Birth |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 8 March 1916 | Age | 21 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Totara Valley | ||
| Occupation | Farm hand | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Robert Aitken (father), Opihi, Pleasant Point | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | NZ Rifle Brigade | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 5th Reinforcements 3rd Battalion, G Company | ||
| Date | 26 June 1916 | ||
| Transport | Tahiti | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington, NZ | Destination | Devonport, England |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Canterbury Infantry Regiment | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Western Front | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | British War Medal & Victory Medal | ||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 5 April 1918 | Age | 22 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Somme, France | ||
| Cause | Killed in action | ||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Martinsart British Cemetery, Somme | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | On Memorial wall, Timaru; Hazelburn District War Memorial; Pleasant Point War Memorial, Pleasant Point School War Memorial | ||
Biographical Notes
Son of Robert and Barbara Aitken, of Pleasant Point, Timaru, New Zealand.
Robert attended the Kakahu Bush School. Prior to enlistment he was working as a farm hand for S E Talbot, Totara Valley. Medically Boarded in Timaru 23 Feb 1916 by Dr D D Dryden and described as weight 148 lbs, 5 foot 11 inches, chest 34 inches, fair complexion, hair brown, eyes grey. He served in NZ from 8 Mar 1916 to 25 Jun 1916. He left for France from England 19 Sep 1916.
Robert suffered a gun shot wound to his right leg on 2 May 1917 – Cas. List no.117/1. He was evacuated to 2 NZ Gen. Hospital England on 11 May 1917 and returned to France 13 Dec 1917.
Aitken’swar medals, scroll and plaque were sent to his NOK Mr R. Aitken (father), Opihi Pleasant Point via Timaru.
Sources
Cenotaph (July 2013); NZ BDM Historical Records (bdmhistoricalrecords,dai.govt.nz); CWGC; Archives NZ; New Zealand Society of Genealogists Index Version 5
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Carol Bell, SC branch NZSG & Timaru Herald, Ted Hansen
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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