Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Claude Gladstone Robinson was born on 3 August 1893 at Dunedin, the second son of Gladstone Robinson and his wife Eva Louisa née Bathgate, later of Oakwood, Gleniti, Timaru. Gladstone Robinson came to New Zealand from his native Gloucestershire, England, in 1880 and worked as a shepherd in various parts of Otago through the 1880s. He married Dunedin-born Eva Louisa Bathgate in 1888. Gladstone purchased the Merino Downs Estate in the Waikoikoi district of South Otago and there he farmed sheep during the 1890s; while Eva returned to Dunedin for the births of the older children. In 1891 Mr and Mrs Robinson took a trip to the Old Country, one of eight that Gladstone was to make. In mid 1899 Mr and Mrs Gladstone Robinson took a trip Home, accompanied by their three little children – Master F. M., Miss E. and Master C. G. It was after this trip to England that Mr Robinson purchased, in 1900, Otumarama Estate, situated at Gleniti about four miles from Timaru. Described as “a magnificent property of 1300 acres, with substantial steadings”, it also included “one of the finest country residences in South Canterbury.” It was at Otumarama that the fourth child was born in 1901. Three more children were born at Timaru, one of the twins dying when a day old. In November 1902 the South Canterbury Mounted Rifles attended their annual training camp in a well sheltered and convenient paddock belonging to Mr Gladstone Robinson at Gleniti. Five years later, Mr Gladstone Robinson sold Otumarama, but repurchased a block of it, where “Oakwood”, a pretty home designed by Timaru architect James Turnbull, was built in 1906.

Claude Robinson was educated at Fairview and Gleniti schools, and for eight months in 1905 at High Street School Dunedin, when his parents took another trip to England, this time with two younger children. Claude Robinson was awarded a special prize for Standard II Progress at Wai-iti (Gleniti) School in 1902. On this occasion Lord and Lady Ranfurly distributed the prizes after unveiling a tablet to a late trooper. In 1904 Claude enjoyed further success – general proficiency in Standard V and a special prize for writing. He was a pupil at Christ’s College, Christchurch, in 1906-1907, before completing his secondary education at Waitaki Boys’ High School, Oamaru. In 1909, while at Waitaki Boys’, Claude Robinson gained a senior free place and a junior civil service pass. The following year he was joint recipient of Miss Dawson’s Encouragement Prize.

In about 1912 Claude went to England with his parents, and went into business with his uncles, Messrs. E. S. and A. Robinson, well known paper merchants. In June 1912 Mr and Mrs G. Robinson of Timaru, and Mr C. G. Robinson were callers at the New Zealand Government Office in London. On the outbreak of war in August 1914, Gladstone Robinson was one of the Timaru locals who contributed to the War Fund, Mrs Robinson giving the following day. A few months later Mrs Robinson was to donate blankets. Throughout the war, Mr and Mrs Robinson were regular donors to the war funds, financially and in goods. They also contributed to other causes – St Mary’s Church, the Otago Medical School, the Bay development, the Art Gallery, Red Cross work, animal welfare, lepers.

Deciding that he should be at the Front, Claude Gladstone Robinson joined the Motor Cycle Despatch Corps, “L” Company, Royal Engineers in November 1914. Corporal C. G. Robinson was appointed temporary Second Lieutenant on 16 January 1915, and received a commission in February 1915. After initial training at various places in the south of England, in May 1915 the 7th Battalion of the South Wales Borderers moved to Aldershot prior to departure for France. Second Lieutenant Robinson had enlisted with the British Expeditionary Force and embarked for France with the 7th Battalion of the South Wales Borderers, landing at Boulogne on 6 September 1915. He was 22 years old, single, Anglican, and gave his parents as next-of-kin - Gladstone & Eva Louisa (nee Bathgate) Robinson, of Oakwood, Gleniti, Timaru. From Boulogne, the Battalion marched towards the lines along the Somme. Just seven weeks after embarkation, Second Lieutenant C. G. Robinson was killed in action in France on 20 October 1915, aged 22 years. In a trench about 20 yards behind the front line, he was shot through the head, and died an hour later. For the most part, the Battalion had escaped serious loss of life and injuries during their time at the Front, suffering a casualty at the hands of a sniper on 12 October, and then Robinson on 20 October. Within 24 hours the Battalion had been ordered to leave France and join the forces holding the Serbian front. Claude Gladstone Robinson was buried in Assevillers New British Cemetery, Somme, France.

His parents received a cable with the news of their son’s death within a few days. The same cable advised that a nephew had died and another was missing. In fact, two nephews were killed in action in France on successive days in September 1915 – Edward Colston Robinson and Geoffrey Wathen Robinson, younger brothers of their nephew Clifford Kossuth Robinson who had left with the New Zealand forces and died of disease in December 1915 at Malta. Another nephew, Eric Arthur Robinson died in September 1916, of wounds received at the Somme. These four young men were all cousins of Claude and Frank Robinson. Claude’s older brother, Frank McLaren Robinson, served with the New Zealand forces, and a younger brother, Clifton Gladstone Robinson, served in World War II. Claude was described as “a young man of a bright and lovable disposition.” Claude Robinson was awarded the 1915 Star and the Victory Medal. For probate in England his address was given as of 2 Redcliffe-street, Bristol, and administration of his estate was granted to his father’s attorney, there being effects to the value of £304.0s.10d. No claim re his soldier’s effects was made by the Army. 2nd-Lt. Claude Gladstone Robinson was recorded in Bristol’s Roll of Honour.

A deeply impressive service in memory of the Waitaki Boy’s ex-pupils who had lost their lives in the war was held in the Oamaru Opera House on 12 December 1915. The service opened with the singing of the hymn “Oh God! Our help in ages past” to the accompaniment of the 10th Regimental Band, followed by prayers, biblical readings, the hymn “For all the Saints, who from their labours rest”, the reading of the Roll of Honour, the playing of “The Dead March in Saul” and a lengthy address by a minister of religion. The singing of the National Anthem and the sounding of the Last Post concluded the service. A similar service was held on 4 April 1920, but then the Roll of Honour was much longer - 118 old Waitakians had given their lives for God and Empire. Claude and many others were remembered and honoured by their Alma Mater.

Mr and Mrs Gladstone Robinson presented a handsome brass tablet mounted on oak in memory of their son, Lieutenant Claude Gladstone Robinson, to the Waitaki Boys’ High School, identified as the Claude Robinson Memorial Brass. The memorial was unveiled in October 1916 in the presence of the assembled pupils of the school. The inscription reads –

In Memory Of

Claude Gladstone Robinson,

Lieut., 7th Battalion South Wales Borderers.

Born August 3rd, 1893.

Killed in Action in France, Oct. 20th, 1915.

Pupil of Waitaki Boys’ High School,

1908-1911.

The Rector in his address said that they had gathered to pay a tribute of respect and affection to one of the numerous Old Boys of the School who had given their lives to the Empire – to dedicate a tablet to the memory of an Old Boy “whose life had left many sunny memories behind it at the School, and whose gallantry of spirit and lofty idealism of character had inspired him to the great sacrifice in this high cause.” His four years at Waitaki Boys’ High School were characterised by a high standard of duty and a marked interest in music, art, literature, and scientific work . . . . His unaffected modesty, his straightness of character, and his warm-hearted loyalty to his school won for him hosts of friends among his contemporaries at Waitaki.” Tributes from the colonel, senior chaplain, and men of the South Wales Borderers were also read. Claude Robinson had been confirmed at St Luke’s Church, Oamaru. By October 1916, five of the ten boys confirmed in his year had given their lives. At the parishioners’ annual meeting in April 1917, it was noted that the church’s roll of honour contained 33 names – 24 parishioners and nine Waitaki High School boys who had been confirmed there in their school days, Claude Robinson one of them.

The memorial service of thanksgiving held in Christ’s College chapel on 25 April 1917, which was largely attended, included hymns, psalms, and prayers for all those connected with the college who had fallen in the war. Among the names of college students who had made the supreme sacrifice, was that of Claude Gladstone Robinson. At the College prize-giving ceremony on 21 February 1918, the headmaster read a lengthy list of Old Boys who had fallen – a list which included Claude Gladstone Robinson. During the reading of the list, those present stood as a mark of respect.

Claude is remembered on the Gleniti War Memorial, erected between the two main doors of the Gleniti School, and unveiled on 27 December 1919. The unveiling ceremony commenced with the singing of the National Anthem and closed with all singing "God Save the King". The Ven. Archdeacon Jacob, who had come out from Timaru with Rev. Father Bartley, spoke of the great object lesson of duty which had been taught to future generations by those who had made such great sacrifices in the war. The schoolchildren, whenever they looked at the tablet, would remember and be proud of those who had fought to keep their country free from the horrors of invasion.

The St Mary’s Church memorial to the fallen was dedicated by the Bishop of Christchurch on 1 December 1921. The service was conducted by the Bishop, the Archdeacon who had himself served, and the Vicar, and included in the large congregation were the Mayor and Councillors and numerous men who had served in the late war, as well as in the South African war. Following the hymn “God of Our Fathers”, prayer and a scripture reading, the memorial was solemnly unveiled. The hymn “O Valiant Hearts” was then sung, the Bishop spoke briefly, and the service closed with the singing of the National Anthem. Bishop Julius noted that, after the long years of anxiety, fear, hope, sorrow, and loss, and now that peace had been declared, they had assembled to unveil a memorial to those from the parish of St. Mary’s who had given their all—their lives. The memorial, his Lordship said, was a most worthy one in its simplicity, artistic beauty, and character, adding that the names it bore were the names of men who had given their all. The inscription reads: “To the glory of God, and in proud and grateful memory of those from this parish who gave their lives in the Great War, 1914-1918.” Then follow the names (73 in number) of those who made the great sacrifice, and the inscription at the bottom of the tablet: ‘‘Their name liveth for evermore.”

The Waitaki Boys’ High School Hall of Memories was opened by the Duke of York on 16 March 1927, the foundation stone having been laid in 1923 by the Governor-General, Viscount Jellicoe. The Heritage Category I building was erected as a memorial to the boys of the school who had made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War and is one of the country’s most impressive memorials. Beneath the magnificent memorial window is a brass tablet – “To the glory of God and in sacred memory of the old boys of this school, who gave their lives in the Great War, 1914-18. In the high cause of Empire this window is dedicated.” At the school’s golden jubilee in May 1933, the rector, Frank Milner who had been in the position during the war, gifted a memorial cairn with plaques naming all those who lost their lives, one of them C. G. Robinson. The inscription above reads: “The Great War 1914-1918. By this path in their school days came those who now lie in foreign lands and far seas that our British way of living may endure.” 700 boys served during the First World War, 119 of them dying.

In 1908 Claude’s mother distributed all 127 class and sewing prizes at Gleniti School, being cheered afterwards. Mrs Robinson was on the committee to establish the Timaru war memorial. She expressed her preference for a memorial which would combine grandeur, simplicity and nobility. Mr Robinson was a strong supporter of St Mary’s Church, Timaru, serving as a vestryman and church warden for some years. Mr and Mrs Gladstone Robinson supported St Saviour’s Orphanage, both financially and in services – they took an “untiring interest in the Home.” They also donated to the Sailors’ Rest. Mr Robinson lived at “Oakwood” for 30 years, dying there in 1936. He retired from farming in 1921, but kept the homestead and a few acres of land. The balance of the “Oakwood” estate was purchased in 1920 for settlement of discharged soldiers after World War I. The 445 acres were described as first-class agricultural and dairying land. Mrs Robinson lived in her later years in Timaru and died there in 1954. Claude’s oldest sister, Evelyn Robinson, who had nursed at Dunedin Hospital throughout the war, married in December 1919 at Bristol, England. His second sister, Margaret Gladstone Robinson, married George Henry Romer Ulrich in March 1927 at the Highfield Presbyterian Church, Timaru. And his youngest sister, Kathleen Gladstone Robinson, was engaged in April 1937, in England. All three sisters died in New Zealand. His brother Frank, who had served in the war, married in January 1919 at St Mary’s, Timaru, and his younger brother, Clifton Gladstone Robinson, married in 1939 in New Zealand. These were all family events which Claude was to miss and where he would be missed.

Sources

CWGC [1 December 2013]; British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards (ancestry.com.au) [4 February 2014]; England & Wales National Probate Calendar Index (ancestry.com.au) [2 February 2014]; Otago Daily Times, 16 January 1889, 8 August 1893, 26, 27 & 28 October 1915, Mataura Ensign, 18 January 1889, 4 January 1900, Otago Witness, 16 April 1891, 10 August 1893, 9 June 1898, 21 September 1899, Timaru Herald, 18 December 1899, 10 July 1901, 26 December 1902, 14 January 1905, 4 April 1905, 15 July 1907, 26 December 1908, 1 November 1909, 10 & 11 August 1914, 2 September 1914, 30 November 1914, 18 December 1914, 13 March 1915, 29 June 1915, 18 August 1915, 26 October 1915 [x 2], 8 July 1919, 27 December 1919, 14 February 1920, 13 April 1920, 7 July 1920, 16 September 1920, 2 December 1921, Press, 22 November 1902, 19 June 1912, 28 October 1915, 22 February 1918, 13 April 1920, 13 July 1936, Progress, 1 July 1907, Oamaru Mail, 15 January 1910, 8 December 1910, 13 December 1915, 13 October 1916, 13 December 1916, 5 April 1920, North Otago Times, 13 December 1915, 13 October 1916, 14 December 1916, 27 April 1917, Star, 25 April 1917, 18 February 1920, Kai Tiaki, April 1920, Auckland Star, 28 March 1927, New Zealand Herald, 19 May 1937 (Papers Past) [18 November 2013; 1 December 2013, 4 February 2014; 15 & 16 June 2015; 10 & 11 January 2016; 09 September 2016; 29 January 2020; 25 May 2020]; The Times, London, 30 April 1937; NZ BDM historical records (Department of Internal Affairs) [December 2013]; School Admission records (South Canterbury Branch NZSG); South Wales Borderers (Heenan Footsteps -heenanfootsteps.wordpress.com) [02 February 2014]; England & Wales Probate Calendar Index (ancestry.com.au) [02 February 2014]; SCRoll web submission by R Toth, 18 September 2015; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [11 January 2016]; Christ’s College register (ancestry.com.au) [19 May 2020]; The London Gazette, 19 January 1915; UK Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects (ancestry.com.au) [19 May 2020]; Bristol & The War (militaryand familyhistory.blog) [19 May 2020]; Waitaki Boys’ High School war memorial cairn (https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/waitaki-college-war-memorial) [May 2020]

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Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

TS