British War Medal 1914-20 : Private A C Robertson, 3 Battalion, AIF

British War Medal 1914-20. Impressed around edge with recipient's details.

Associated with the service of 1168 Private Alexander Christopher Robertson. Robertson enlisted in A Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade on 19 August 1914, having previously served three years in Senior Cadets and one year as a trainee in the Militia.

Robertson embarked from Sydney for the Middle East on 20 October aboard HMAT Euripides. On 5 April 1915 he embarked aboard the Derflinger from Alexandria to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force for the landing at Gallipoli. The battalion took part in the ANZAC landing on 25 April 1915 as part of the second and third waves and served there until the evacuation in December. In August, the battalion took part in the attack on Lone Pine.

On 1 September Robertson was admitted to the 1st Casualty Clearing Station with influenza before being evacuated to 1st Australian General Hospital, Mudros. he was admitted to 3 Auxiliary Convalescent Depot, Cairo on 5 September but was transferred to 5th Training Battalion on 11 September to prepare for his return to the peninsula. He embarked aboard the Borda at Zeitoun on 21 October, rejoining his unit at Gallipoli on 2 November.

Robertson left Gallipoli aboard the Simla during the December evacuation of the ANZAC area, disembarking at Alexandria. He was transferred to the newly formed 55th Battalion as part of the doubling of the AIF on 13 February and embarked for France aboard HMAT Caledonian on 19 June.

Robertson disembarked at Marseilles on 29 June. He was reported missing after the 55th Battalion took part in the Battle of Fromelles on 19-20 July 1916. His body was not recovered and his name was not on any prisoner of war lists. It was not till July 1917 that a court of enquiry officially determined he had been killed in action on 20 July 1916. After the war his body was discovered and he was buried at Ration Farm Military Cemetery, La Chapelle-d'Armentieres.