British War Medal 1914-20: Corporal R Addison, 12 Field Artillery Brigade, AIF

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

Born at Maryport, Cumberland, England, 26 year old Robert Addison was working as a labourer at Binalong, NSW, when he travelled to Goulburn to enlist in the AIF on 15 March 1916. His initial training was undertaken at the Goulburn Training Depot where he was successively attached to B, A, then C Companies of the Depot Battalion until 4 July 1916.

After training, Gunner Addison was assigned the service number 28761 and posted as a reinforcement for the 1st Heavy Trench Mortar Battery. He sailed from Sydney for service on the Western Front aboard the transport HMAT A47 Mashobra on 14 September, arriving at Plymouth, England on 2 November 1916. After training at the Larkhill Camp, Addison was posted to the 46th Battery of 12 Field Artillery Brigade instead of a trench mortar battery. He remained with this unit for the rest of the war.

Addison arrived in France to join his new unit on 20 March 1917. He spent most of June in hospital after injuring his leg playing football behind the lines. He was awarded the Military Medal for an action which took place near Hooge, Belgium, on 19 September, during the Third Battle of Ypres, in which he helped to put out a fire in an ammunition pit at great personal risk.

Addison was promoted to bombardier (corporal) in December 1917. At the end of May 1918 Addison was evacuated to hospital in Colchester, England, suffering from trench fever. After further training in England he returned to his unit in France at the beginning of October, in time to take part in his unit's final actions during the war. Addison returned to Australia in July 1919 aboard the City of Exeter. He died on 8 May 1943.