ROBERTS, Robert Pooley
(Service number 21097)
| First Rank | Lance Corporal | Last Rank | Corporal |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 23 April 1894 | Place of Birth | Thames |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Edward Street, Thames | ||
| Occupation | Plumber | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs M. ROBERTS (mother), Edward Street, Thames | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Rifle Brigade | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 10th Reinforcements, 1st Battalion, E Company | ||
| Date | 19 August 1916 | ||
| Transport | Aparima | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | ||
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 4th Battalion, C Company | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | |||
Award Circumstances and Date
For acts of gallantry in the field, 19 June 1917 (Gazette, 30 June 1917)
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 | 10 April 1976 | Age | 81 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | |||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Shortland Cemetery, Thames | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Robert Pooley Roberts was born on 23 April 1894 at Thames, the fifth son of Joseph and Maria (née Jenkins) Roberts. He was educated at Kauaeranga School, leaving at the age of fourteen to work for a tinsmith. He was a plumber, living at home, when he enlisted, and nominating his mother Mrs M. Roberts, as his next-of-kin. Her address was Edward Street, Thames. Casualty List No. 601, published in June 1917, listed Robert Pooley Roberts among the wounded. His mother was then recorded as of Timaru. Robert Pooley Roberts was awarded the Military Medal on 19 June 1917 for acts of gallantry in the field.
Robert Pooley Roberts married Vivien Gladys Martellie in 1920. He died on 10 April 1976 at Auckland, and was buried at Shortland Cemetery, Thames. Vivien had died in 1961 and was buried at Paeroa Cemetery with an infant grandson. Two of Robert’s brothers served in World War I – Joseph William Roberts and David Wilson Roberts. The link of Robert and/or his mother to Timaru has not been identified. Was there confusion between Frank William Roberts and Robert Pooley Roberts? Both men were listed in the same casualty list; both mothers (next-of-kin) were Mrs M. Roberts. Was there a misreading of the cable – Timaru for Thames?
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [15 August 2020]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [15 August 2020]; School Admission record [18 August 2020]; Shortland Cemetery burial record (Thames-Coromandel District Council) [18 August 2020]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [17 August 2020]; Timaru Herald, 23 June 1917 (Papers Past) [03 August 2020]
External Links
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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