Crane, Robert George

Gosford District Casualties of World War One Bragg,Robert Edmund Allen Crane, George

Service Service Number Number 1494 2810 Killed in Action 19th May 1915 Killed in Action 11th April 1917 Gallipoli Peninsula Bullecourt, France

Gosford City Council gratefully acknowledges the voluntary efforts of Benalyn Campbell And Vivienne Tranter in compiling this resource

The information in this file has been extracted from official records held in the The Australian War Memorial and National Archives of Australia (ÂŠ Commonwealth of Australia [National Archives of Australia] 2013) Further information on this soldier may be found online at: Commonwealth War Graves The AIF project Content advisory: This file may potentially contain disturbing accounts of service-related injury and death, disease and family grief. Adult supervision is recommended for children using these resources. Individual files should be viewed within the context provided by wider research on service conditions in the 1 st AIF. This resource is presented by Gosford City Council for research purposes only. Please note that copyright for resources contained within remains with the original copyright owners.

NAME

Crane, Robert George

SERVICE NO

2810

UNIT

13th Battalion/9th Rienf/ 4th Machine Gun Coy

RANK

Lance Corporal

AGE at Enlistment

21 yrs 3 mths

PLACE OF BIRTH

Wyong, NSW

ADDRESS OCCUPATION

Labourer

DATE OF ENLISTMENT

19 Jul 1915

PLACE OF ENLISTMENT PREVIOUS SERVICE

Liverpool, NSW

NEXT OF KIN

Father;- Philip Crane, Wyong

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Height-5’5½”. Weight-160lbs. Chest-35-38 Complexion-Ruddy. Eyes-Grey. Hair-Fair.

RELIGION

C/E

EMBARKED

Sydney 6 Sep 1915 per HMAT A70 “Ballarat”

2½ yrs Militia

DISEMBARKED NOTES

Brother of Hector Philip Crane K

WOUNDED/ILLNESS DIED

11 Apr 1917 Bullecourt, France GSW Head

BURIED MEDALS

1914-15 Star-14277, British War Medal-17862, Victory Medal-17791. Memorial Plaque & Scroll-321236

DEPENDANTS PERSONAL EFFECTS WILL CORRESPONDENCE

Mr N Milton 37 Stewart St Paddington, NSW. Father;- Philip Crane Wyong, NSW

REMARKS

Reportedly a good footballer. Held in high regard by fellow service men. Very good looking. Died in “no mans land” at Bullecourt. Body not recovered possibly buried by Germans.

RED CROSS REPORT

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD 5.5.1917. CRANE – Killed in action, France, April 11 1917, Lance-corporal G. R. Crane, Late of Wyong. He did his bit for his country. To know him was to love him. Inserted by his friend, Nell Milton.

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. 8.5.1917. Pg. 6. ROLL OF HONOR. CRANE – KILLED IN ACTION, France, april 11, 1917, Lance-corporal G.R. Crane, late of Wyong. He did his best for his country. To know him is to love him. Inserted by his loving friend, Nell Milton.

GOSFORD TIMES 2.8.1917. LETTER FROM FRANCE. A Soldier’s Death. Mrs Crane, of Wyong, has received the following letter referring to the death of her soldier son:France April 24 – Mrs Crane – Dear Madam – Long before you receive this letter news of your son’s death will have reached you, and though the grief you feel cannot be effaced it will bring pride to your heart and alleviate your suffering to know he went out doing the duty he so bravely left Australia to accomplish. Even amongst us, daily expecting these events, the news brought regret to us all, and now that we are back from the firing line again his cheery voice and manly ways are sadly missed. He was killed during the operations before the village on the night of April 11th, and I regret I am unable to inform you of the exact circumstances, as personally I was not in the line but in reserve, and the Brigade suffered such heavy casualties, that in our Company few men returned, none of them being able to let me know what actually occurred, except that amongst others he was seen lying in a shell hole killed. I know this letter will not be much comfort to you, but we all thought it should be written even out of respect and as a token of appreciation for him. It is a duty I never expected, nor hoped to perform, and we all fully realize the intense grief you suffer, but bear up and always think of your gallant son as one, who, like many more of our brave Australians have done, both on Gallipoli and those bloody fields of France, has made the great sacrifice for his people and country. I have collected his few personal effects and posted them, although one small thing (a gold medal won in France as champion footballer in the unbeaten team of our Company) you would have prized greatly, he had with him. Please accept the sympathy of all his mates, and believe me, your sincere and sympathetic friend L. D. CAMPBELL.

GOSFORD TIMES 18.4.1918 ROLL OF HONOR. CRANE – In loving memory of our dear brother, Lance-Corporal Robert George, killed in action at Bullecourt, France, 11th April, 1917. Rest well brave heart we softly say Ye who for us your life laid down; The angels know your grave to-day, And weave for you the victor’s crown. Inserted by his loving brother and sister-in-law, Jack and Cassy.

GOSFORD TIMES 17.4.1919. CRANE – In loving memory of our dear beother, Lance-Corporal Robert George, killed in action at Bullecourt, France, 11th April, 1917. Great love hath no man than this, Who laid down his life for his friends. Inserted by his loving brother and sister-in-law, Jack and Cassy.

Abridged record/s courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 3440684

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