Sydney Robertson – Australian Infantry, A.I.F., 11th Battalion
Private Sydney Robertson – Australian Infantry, A.I.F., 11th Battalion
Birth and Family Background
Sydney Robertson was born in 1889 in Swansea.
He was the son of Donald Robertson and Mary Craig, who were married
in 1872 in Swansea.
Early Life
 |
| 1891 Census |
At the time of the 1891 Census, the Robertson family were living at 2 Trinity Place, Swansea.
Donald Robertson (48), Scottish-born, was employed as a draper, while his wife Mary (39), also born in Scotland, managed the household.
Their children were John (17), Mary (16), and Elizabeth
(15); Donald A. (12), James S. (11), and Robert W. (10),
all attending school; Hector S. (4); and Sydney (2).
 |
| 1901 Census |
By the 1901 Census, the family remained at 2 Trinity Place, Swansea.
Donald Robertson (38) continued working as a draper, and Mary (49) managed the home.
The children present were Jessie (23), a school
board teacher; Donald Alec (22), a draper’s assistant; Hector
Stanley (14); Sydney (12); and Olive May (10).
Also living in the household were three servants: Selina Morgan (25),
William Harrie Campbell (26), and Allan Arthur Campbell (24).
Emigration to Australia
After 1901, Sydney Robertson emigrated to Australia,
settling in Western Australia, where he later entered military service.
Military Service
 |
| Attestation Papers |
He joined the battalion in January 1916 in Egypt. In March
1916, the unit embarked for the Western Front, arriving at Marseille
in April 1916, before moving north to the front-line sectors of northern
France.
Australian Infantry, A.I.F., 11th Battalion — 24th May 1916
On 24th May 1916, the 11th Battalion
was serving on the Western Front in northern France, holding the line in
the Fleurbaix sector, south of Armentières. This was during the early
phase of the Australian Imperial Force’s deployment to France, following
its transfer from Gallipoli via Egypt earlier that year.
The battalion, part of the 3rd Brigade, 1st
Australian Division, occupied front-line and support trenches
opposite German positions. Although the Fleurbaix sector was considered
relatively “quiet” compared with later battlefields such as the Somme or
Ypres, it was nonetheless dangerous and deadly. Routine trench warfare
exposed soldiers to regular artillery fire, trench mortars, sniping,
and sudden raids, all of which caused frequent casualties.
During May 1916, the battalion’s duties included manning
trenches, repairing parapets and dugouts, constructing and
maintaining communication trenches, and carrying out night patrols in No
Man’s Land. Working parties were often targeted by German shellfire,
and even short movements along trenches or across open ground could prove
fatal.
On 24th May 1916, increased German
artillery activity in the Fleurbaix area resulted in casualties among
Australian units holding the line. Men were wounded or killed by shellfire
and trench mortar rounds, particularly during daylight hours when
visibility made movement hazardous. It was during this period of routine but
perilous front-line service that Sydney Robertson was killed in action.
The battalion’s experience at Fleurbaix illustrated the constant
attrition of trench warfare, where losses occurred daily even in the
absence of major offensives. These early months on the Western Front were
crucial in hardening Australian units and preparing them—at significant
cost—for the far greater battles that would follow later in 1916.
Death and Burial
Sydney Robertson was killed in action on 24th May
1916. He is buried at Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix,
Pas-de-Calais, France.
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