Case study: James Alexander Robinson

James Alexander Robinson was the man responsible for the operation that salvaged the German tank Mephisto from no man’s land near Villers-Bretonneux in France. Twenty years after the war he was interviewed back in Australia about the famous tank.

The following was written by a journalist in The Telegraph on 23 July 1938:

We strolled round and round the Mephisto – captured German tank, 60 tons in weight, now reposing in the grounds of the Queensland Museum.

“Here she is,” said [Robinson] putting out his hand and touching the cold hard steel as if welcoming back a long lost dog.

There was a distant look in his eye as it gathered in the great grey hulk.

His mind’s eye was witnessing again the capture from the Germans of this steel monster – on July 14 1918, near Villers-Bretonneux.[1]

Robinson was born on 20 January 1888 in Nundah, Queensland. He held a commission in the junior cadets before going to work as a lecturer at the University of Queensland[2], and on 15 May 1915 he joined the AIF as a second lieutenant. The terms of his commission were that he would serve for the duration of the war plus four months. With this in mind, he embarked with the 26th Battalion from Brisbane on 24 May 1915 on board HMAT Ascanius.

From September to December 1915 Robinson served on Gallipoli with the 26th battalion. At various times this battalion was responsible for the defence of Courtney’s Post, Steele’s Post, and Russell’s Top. It was sent to the Western Front in March 1916, and served in France and Belgium. There Robinson was promoted several times, and in the final months of the war he was made lieutenant colonel and given command of the battalion.

Robinson was a capable officer. One report described him as:

A capable energetic Officer with plenty of common sense. Handles troops well. Very keen … He has done very well here, and ought with all his experience … to be fit to command his Battalion ...[3]

Robinson and other members of the 26th Battalion took part in a raid on enemy trenches on the night of 6/7 June 1916.[4] This was the first trench raid undertaken by Australian troops on the Western Front. Robinson was Mentioned in Despatches three times and awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in 1917. His citation for the DSO read:

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He supervised the assembly of the Battalion previous to the attack. After the attack had been launched, he went forward, and sent back most valuable reports on the situation. He showed great braveness and coolness throughout, and his presence in the front line had a most cheering and marked effect on all present.[5]

The 26th Battalion was heavily involved in fighting in the front line throughout its time on the Western Front. It fought in its first major battle around Pozières between 28 July and 7 August 1916. In 1917 it was involved in two attempts to breach the Hindenburg Line near Bullecourt and fought at Menin Road during the Third Battle of Ypres. The following year the 26th Battalion was among those fighting against the German Spring Offensive. In the lull that followed, the battalion mounted “peaceful penetration” operations to snatch portions of the German front line. It was during one such operation in Monument Wood on 14 July that the 26th Battalion captured the first German tank to fall into allied hands – No. 506 Mephisto. Robinson had taken command of the battalion just a few days earlier.

Later in the year the battalion was involved in the August offensive, and its last action took place in early October 1918.

Not all Robinson’s time was spent in France during the hostilities of the First World War. Aside from his Gallipoli service, he attended the King’s Review in May 1917 and undertook a course at the Senior Officers’ School in Aldershot in July of the same year. He also took leave on several occasions to visit London and Paris.

In October 1918 Robinson received a gunshot wound to the left arm, for which he was evacuated to hospital in England. His recovery took several weeks and he was able to re-join his battalion shortly before the Armistice.

Robinson left Europe for Australia in March 1919, and the 26th Battalion was disbanded that May. Robinson’s service ended on 27 July 1919 when he was discharged from the AIF.

After the war Robinson devoted his life to education and learning. He returned to teaching, becoming a college principal, and was heavily involved in raising standards in teacher training. Even in retirement, he taught immigrants by correspondence, and educated prisoners housed in Boggo Road Gaol in English and mathematics. He died on 14 July 1971, aged 83.

Questions and activities

• Both as a soldier and as a college principal, Robinson was a leader. What do you think makes a good leader?

• Why do you think servicemen respected Robinson as a leader?

• James Robinson was awarded the DSO. What did he do to earn it? Read his recommendation for the DSO by following this link: http://www.awm.gov.au/images/collection/pdf/RCDIG1068647--55-.pdf.

• How does the author of the following article describe Robinson? http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article20368244

• Did the author of this article support the British and Australian troops? Back up your answer with evidence.

[1] “Brisbane’s link with Villers-Bretonneux”, The Telegraph, 23 July 1938 (second edition), p. 18: http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/183491608.

[2]National Archives of Australia, service records, James Alexander Robinson: http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1905039.

[3] National Archives of Australia, service record, James Alexander Robinson: http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1905039.

[4] National Archives of Australia, service record, James Alexander Robinson: http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1905039.

[5] National Archives of Australia, service records, Robinson, James Alexander: http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1905039