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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: celia on Friday 23 April 10 00:11 BST (UK)

Title: William Glover Robertson
Post by: celia on Friday 23 April 10 00:11 BST (UK)
The above gave his Life for his country, Killed in action at Fleurs 5Th November 1916.Son Of William Purser Robertson.
This Is no relation to me at all,But I found a Family  memorial  in our cemetery and i have never seen anything like it before. The carving in the stone has an Australian hat on it,I am intrigued :) so he was in the Australian army but why is the memorial in wirral. It says  William c was born on 30th August 1883 but not where. If anyone comes across this man I would be interested to know.
Title: Re: William Clover Robertson
Post by: suzard on Friday 23 April 10 00:35 BST (UK)
Could his birth be 1893 ??

There is this birth reg

William Purser Robertson
Sept qtr 1865 Staines Mddsx 3a 1

and a marriage reg
Sept qtr 1892
Toxteth Park
William Purser Robertson
Ellen Elizabeth Glover
8b 405

I found William Purser Robertson in 1871 with parents -p.o.b. Ashford

then

1901
3 Wendover Ave
Toxteth Park
William Robertson Head M 35 Printer (Compositer) Ashford mddsx
Ellen wife 29 Liverpool
WILLIAM son 7 Liverpool
Ernest james Boarder U 24 Asst school master not known
RG13 3433 1 3

it looks like William was just registered as William Robertson -but possibly took Mother's maiden name as his middle name -Clover? or Glover??

Suz
Title: Re: William Clover Robertson
Post by: ennael on Friday 23 April 10 01:06 BST (UK)
The service record is available for viewing at:
www.naa.gov.au
Select Record Search,
search as guest
Enter William Glover ROBERTSON into searchbox.
Click on blue "R"
It is 60 pages long and Australian Service records can be very detailed,especially for those K.IA.
Leanne
Title: Re: William Clover Robertson
Post by: forester on Friday 23 April 10 09:53 BST (UK)
Celia,

This is his entry on CWGC:

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=264624

Phil
Title: Re: William Clover Robertson
Post by: celia on Friday 23 April 10 13:44 BST (UK)
Hi
I was about to make a reply late last night when i got locked out.Not before i had read the post and taken the info though.
Can I be common, as mum would say ;D and say i am gobsmacked ;D at this information it has given me the answears to all the things i wanted to know.When i was taking some photos of war graves  I found the memorial and for some reason was very drawn to to it.So i took a photo of it,

Suz yes that's the family on the census,Ellen is mentioned on the stone. Because i tried to get the whole of the memorial in I took the photo from the bottom end.The stone is flat though and i could not make out the difference between the G.&C or make out the year properly at that angle.

Leanne thank you for the website I now know he  was  Dark haired and blue eyed ;D I was amazed to see he was actually buried in France. I had thought he would be a Grave unknown.It was sad to read he was so young when he died and hadn't been in army long.
I spent ages going through Australian website and many others but didn't find a thing I should have realized the middle name would have been a maiden name but it was late.Then you lovely people give me it in flash 8)

Phil  I looked on that site but again entered full name so no go ;D

you  members have made my day ;D ;D

Celia
Title: Re: William Clover Robertson
Post by: celia on Friday 23 April 10 15:33 BST (UK)
I thought you might like to see why Williams Memorial interested me, Above the hat.There is a knife in a sheath.
Title: Re: William Glover Robertson
Post by: forester on Friday 23 April 10 22:08 BST (UK)
Thanks for adding the picture Celia.  :)

It's an amazing memorial.

Phil :)
Title: Re: William Glover Robertson
Post by: spof on Saturday 24 April 10 11:28 BST (UK)
Celia

Thank you for a fascinating photograph. It is amazing as Phil said.

Here is a photograph of the AIF Cemetery at Flers (undergoing restoration when I visited last year) where William is buried.

Glen
Title: Re: William Glover Robertson
Post by: celia on Saturday 24 April 10 12:19 BST (UK)
Glen
That's a lovely photo,the men in my family just 2, were 1, a R.N.R. the other his son a merchant seaman (a cook i think).I wish it was as easy to find them as is it is for soldiers,and the R.A.F. Its a moving experience, that I can see Williams signatures and Picture what he looked like and I'm not even related ;D I just hope that one day (in my Lifetime ;D ) someone in Australia relatives,maybe :-\ or in England. Will start their family tree and find William Glover Robertson.

Celia  P.S. I have a suspicion that because the family were in Liverpool on the 1901 census. That they might have moved over the water to wallasey or had relatives there. Its the only reason I can think of as to why the memorial is in Rake Lane cemetery
Title: Re: William Glover Robertson
Post by: ennael on Saturday 24 April 10 12:48 BST (UK)
To bring William "a little bit more to life", this is from:

Roll of Honour Circular at the Australian War Memorial,www.awm.gov.au

http://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/AWM131/042/042575.pdf

Leanne
Title: Re: William Glover Robertson
Post by: celia on Sunday 25 April 10 19:51 BST (UK)
Thank you Leanne  ;D

Celia
Title: Re: William Glover Robertson
Post by: Rod Glover on Monday 09 November 15 19:16 GMT (UK)
To all interested parties.
*xxx.
I can inform you that I am a distant relative of William Glover Robertson,ie. 2nd. cousin and I live in Manchester.
Ellen Robertson was my paternal grandfather's (Albert Glover), older sister.
I discovered William Robertson's history in 2008 when I began to research the Glover family tree.
This research was prompted by the emigration to Australia by three of my four children. None of whom had any inkling of William!
Since my birth in 1946,I had occasionally heard of a relative emigrating to Australia in the early 1900s and being killed during World War 1.  No names or dates were known.
Ellen Robertson died in the mid 1960s in the Isle of Man.
I had no knowledge of the Wallasey grave/memorial and am very happy that Celia found it and published it's whereabouts.
I have visited Williams grave at Flers and will be going to Wallasey soon.
Finding this "Roots"website was as a result of my 12 year old grandaughter's * xxxxx ,efforts to research,for a WW1 school project,any family members involvement in WW 1.
There are many coincidences involved in this family story,not stated here, and if anyone connected with Celia would like to know more,please contact me.
Thank you all for the information.

*Moderator comment. Name of living person removed in accordance with Rootschat Policy
Title: Re: William Glover Robertson
Post by: millymcb on Tuesday 10 November 15 13:57 GMT (UK)
Hello Rod. Welcome to Rootschat.Very pleased you found us. I hope your granddaughter got top marks for her project.

For privacy and anti spam protection I have edited full names of living people mentioned. If you wish to exchange any personal or contact details please use our Personal Message system. You will need to have made two posts here to be able to send it receive.

What a wonderful memorial Celia found.

Milly (Armed Forces moderator)
Title: Re: William Glover Robertson
Post by: sarah on Tuesday 10 November 15 14:20 GMT (UK)
Hello Rod,

Oh how wonderful to hear your story and what a clever Grandaughter you have. Yes full marks to her excellent sleuthing. I am sure Celia would have enjoyed to hear of another new generation researching her ancestors.

Regards

Sarah
Title: Re: William Glover Robertson
Post by: Nanna52 on Wednesday 11 November 15 04:26 GMT (UK)
Another thread here.  If she hasn't done so check the national archives of Australia site too.

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=704440.msg5598185#msg5598185

Title: Re: William Glover Robertson
Post by: Certacito on Wednesday 11 November 15 14:31 GMT (UK)
I posted the other thread without knowing Celia had brought it up some years back. Sadly Celia passed away some years ago after so much sterling work on this site.


Alan
Title: Re: William Glover Robertson
Post by: Grace Glover on Saturday 14 November 15 11:51 GMT (UK)
Hi Grandad! When I get my project back from school, I will bring to to your house and research William Glover Robertson some more! ;)
Title: Re: William Glover Robertson
Post by: millymcb on Monday 16 November 15 19:44 GMT (UK)
Welcome to Rootschat Grace :)

Well done on your research so far

Milly