Geelong Anzac honoured at Australian War Memorial

The Australian War Memorial in Canberra will be commemorating the service and sacrifice of former Geelong resident, Lieutenant Colonel John Charles Robertson at the Last Post Ceremony on Saturday 29 June. Robertson served in both the First and Second World Wars.

“John (Jack) Robertson was born on 28 October 1894 in Geelong, Victoria, the eldest of five children born to George and Jessie Robertson,” Australian War Memorial historian Rachel Caines said.

“Robertson joined the senior cadets in 1911 and the Citizen Forces in 1912. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 23 July 1915, departing Australia with reinforcements of the 23rd Battalion in February 1916.

“During the First World War, he served with the 23rd Australian Infantry Battalion, the 6th Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery and the Australian Corps School in France and Belgium. In November 1917 he was awarded the Military Cross for ‘conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty’ while managing his section under heavy German fire.

“He returned to Australia in December 1918 and was discharged from the AIF in May 1920. In September 1922, he married his long-time sweetheart, Dot Aikman, and they went on to have three children: Jock (1923), Cargill (1925) and Margaret (1928).

“Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Robertson continued to serve with the 23rd Battalion in Geelong and was awarded the Victoria Decoration for his service.

“When war broke out again in 1939, he was second in command of the composite 23rd/21st Geelong Battalion.

“On 29 October 1940, the day after his 46th birthday, Robertson formally enlisted in the 2nd AIF. He was appointed lieutenant colonel on 7 November and placed in command of the newly-formed 2nd/29th Battalion.

“The battalion arrived in Singapore in mid-August 1941 before travelling to Segament in Malaya. From 8 December 1941, Japanese forces quickly swept through the Malay Peninsula. On 18 January 1942, the Japanese launched an attack, and after fierce fighting, the 2nd/29th Battalion was surrounded. While travelling from brigade headquarters on a motorcycle driven by Despatch Rider Sergeant Syd Bauckham, Robertson was shot by a platoon of Japanese troopers and fell from the motorbike a few hundred yards from headquarters. He was rescued, but died shortly after, having been hit by at least one bullet in the leg, and suffering a head injury and shock after falling from the bike. He was 47 years old.”

Robertson’s remains were buried in Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore. His name is listed on the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial, among almost 40,000 Australians who died while serving in the Second World War.”

The Last Post ceremony is held at 4.30 pm every day except Christmas Day in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial.

Each ceremony shares the story behind one of the 103,000 names on the Roll of Honour. To date, the Memorial has delivered more than 3,300 ceremonies, each featuring an individual story of service in conflicts ranging from colonial to recent times. It would take more than 280 years to read the story behind each of the 103,000 names listed on the Roll of Honour.

“The Last Post Ceremony is our commitment to remembering and honouring the legacy of Australian service,” Memorial Director Matt Anderson said.

“Through our daily Last Post Ceremony, we not only acknowledge where and how these men and women died. We also tell the stories of who they were when they were alive, and of the families who loved them and, in so many cases, still mourn for them.

 “The Last Post is now associated with remembrance, but originally it was a bugle call to sound the end of the day’s activities in the military. It is a fitting way to end each day at the Memorial.”

The Last Post Ceremony honouring the service of Lieutenant Colonel John Charles Robertson will be live streamed on 29 June to the Australian War Memorial’s YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/c/awmlastpost.

The stories told at the Last Post Ceremony are researched and written by the Memorial’s military historians, who begin the process by looking at nominal rolls, attestation papers and enlistment records before building profiles that include personal milestones and military experiences.