ROBINSON, John James
(Service number 15969)
| First Rank | Rifleman | Last Rank | Rifleman |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 23/11/1887 | Place of Birth | Woodbury, South Canterbury |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 15 March 1916 | Age | 28 years 4 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Four Peaks, Canterbury | ||
| Occupation | Farmer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs M. ROBINSON (mother), Four Peaks, Canterbury | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Rifle Brigade | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 6th Reinforcements 3rd Battalion, G Company | ||
| Date | 26 July 1916 | ||
| Transport | Waitemata or Ulimoara | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington | Destination | Devonport, England |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | NZ Rifle Brigade | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Western European | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 24 July 1957 | Age | 70 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Four Peaks, Geraldine (residence) | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Cremated Christchurch; ashes interred at Woodbury Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Son of Joseph ROBINSON & Mary (nee MOSSOP) ROBINSON. Educated at Woodbury School. Married Mary Elizabeth JOHNSTON, on 26 April 1922, at Washdyke, Timaru. Two sons & two daughters. Returned home invalided in 1918. Brothers Joseph & Thomas Mossop ROBINSON also served in WWI. John married Mary Elizabeth JOHNSTON on 26 April 1922 at Washdyke.
A descendant commented:
"John went into D Company in the 3rd Batallion of the Rifle Brigade in France on October 21 1916. He was part of the reinforcements that brought the Brigade up to strength again after the losses it incurred at the Battle of the Somme. He served through the Battle of Messines (where D Company was in the first attacking wave). He was wounded in action on the 1st October 1917 somewhere between Hooge and the front line, where his company were digging ditches and burying telephone cables deep enough to withstand a shell burst. He was caught in the chest in front of his left shoulder by a shrapnel burst. This was a major wound which opened up his chest cavity. He was transferred to a base hospital at Brockenhurst, Hampshire, England and embarked on his journey home aboard the ‘Maheno’, arriving in Auckland on the 3rd February 1918."
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [03 February 2014]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ ref. AABK 18805 W5550 0099009) [26 August 2014]; Woodbury Cemetery, Geraldine - transcription (www.rootsweb.ancestry.com) [03 February 2014]; Timaru Herald, 5 & 7 April 1916, 24 June 1916, 31 January 1918, 2 February 1918, 21 May 1918, 26 July 1918, 4 February 1919, Otago Witness, 31 October 1917 (Papers Past) [04 February 2014; 06 March 2014; 10 January 2016; 13 January 2019]; ancestry.com.au [16 February 2014]; Timaru Herald, 26 July 1957 (Timaru District Library) [29 August 2014]; Presbyterian Marriage Certificate (South Canterbury Museum) [20 June 2014]; Probate record (Archives NZ/FamilySearch) [09 January 2016]; SCRoll web submission by M Robinson, 25 April 2023.
External Links
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