228 Harris St, Sydney NSW
5996
13th Battalion
Gilgandra Coo-ee
RTA December 1917
Private Robert Clyde Campbell 5996
Robert was a single 25 year old farmer when he enlisted with the Coo-ees in Gilgandra and joined the march to Sydney. He named his mother, Charlotte Campbell of 286 Harris St, Sydney as his next of kin. He stated he had no previous service.
Robert marched with the Coo-ees until Lithgow, where he was admitted to hospital with typhoid fever. He completed his medical examination on July 13, 1916 at Kiama and was described as 5’ 7” tall, 11st6lb (72kgs), chest expansion 36-38”’ fair complexion, blue eyes and fair hair. His religion was Church of England. After training at Liverpool, he embarked from Sydney on the HMAT Wiltshire on August 22, 1916 and arrived at Plymouth, England in October 1916. He joined the 13th Battalion on March 16, 1917 at Ribemont, France .
While fighting on the Hindenburg Line in the vicinity of Reincourt in March 1917, Robert suffered a gunshot wound to his left arm – one of 118 members of the battalion wounded on that day; with 25 killed and 367 men reported as missing. He was sent to England for treatment and developed the complication of oedema in his leg.
In October 1917 he commenced his return to Australia on the HMAT Berrima arriving in Australia on December 13, 1917. He was discharged as medically unfit on January 30, 1918.
Robert lived at ‘Tipperary’ Neilrex via Dunedoo when his pension of 30/- per fortnight was approved January 31, 1918.
He was issued the Victory Medal and the British War Medal. Robert is commemorated on the Gilgandra Coo-ee Gateway Memorial.