Robert Hastings Joyce
From Our Contribution
 The Westralian Battalion, N Browning, page 447 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | Not known 1898 |
| Place of Birth | Gates Head on Tyne, England |
| Death | 15 Mar 1987, aged 89 |
| Place of Death | Armadale, Western Australia |
| Age at Enlistment | 18 years, 1 month |
| Description |
5' 10½" (1.79m) tall ; 143 lbs 64.864 kg ; fresh complexion ; brown eyes ; dark brown hair |
| Occupation | Farm hand |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | Jandakot Post Office (Banjup) |
| Next of Kin | Father , Mr Patrick Joyce |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 2675 |
| Date of Enlistment | 1 Sep 1916 |
| Rank | Lance Corporal |
| Unit/Formation | 44th Battalion, 5th Reinforcement / 11th Brigade, 3rd Division |
| Date of Embarkation | 9 Nov 1916 ‒ 10 Jan 1917 |
| Ship Embarked On | HMAT A8 Argyllshire |
| Date of Return | 8 Jan 1919 ‒ 19 Feb 1919 |
| Ship Returned On | SS Orsova |
| Fate |
Wounded in Action 12 Oct 1917 at Passchendaele Returned to Australia |
| Monument | Banjup War Memorial |
| Medals |
British War Medal Victory Medal |
Pre War
War Service
On entering camp, Robert was allocated to the 6th reinforcement draft for the 44th Battalion. However, after 6 weeks he was transferred to the 5th draft and soon after that he embarked for England aboard HMAT A8 Argyllshire.
On arrival in England on 19 Feb 1917 he was sent to the 11th Training Battalion in Durrington. His training was briefly interrupted on 2 Feb 1917 when he was admitted to the a Military Hospital with Influenza.
Robert proceeded overseas to France on 19 Apr 1917 via Folkestone, and on 23 Apr 1917 he and 57 other reinforcements were taken on strength of the 44th Battalion at Ploegsteert. Appointed Lance Corporal on 29 Jul 1917, he was made Temporary Corporal on 7 Oct 1917, before being wounded on 12 Oct 1917 while in the front line near Poperinghe. His injuries were deemed to be slight in the form of gunshot wounds to his chest and buttock.
He was embarked on the HS Ville de Liege for England on 6 Nov 1917, and in England he was admitted to the Edmonton Military Hospital. Passed on to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford from 10 - 16 Dec 1917, he was given a fortnight's leave before returning to France.
Robert again embarked for France on 1 May 1918 from Folkestone to rejoin his battalion where on 1 Jul 1918 he was promoted Temporary Corporal. On 31 Aug 1918 he had an abscess on his old wound, reverting to Lance Corporal when he left the battalion. Robert was invalided to England and admitted to the Beaufort War Hospital in Bristol on 3 Sep 1918. Robert was returned to Australia on his recovering aboard SS Orsova, disembarking on Fremantle on 19 Feb 1919. He was discharged by 5th Military District on 8 Apr 1919.
Mentioned on page 15 of The Drill of the Foot-Hills 1916 Oct-Nov edition.
Post War
Married Florence Munn in 1929. Electoral Roll entries - 1922 - 26 Newton road, Spearwood, a farmer; 1931 at 83 Queen Victoria street, Fremantle, a bricklayer, with Florence. 1936 - 1949 at 11 Fraser street, East Fremantle. In 1954 - 1963 they are at 2 Dandenong road, Attadale, moving in 1963 to 137 Melville parade, Como. In 1968 - 1980 retired and living at Gordon road in Serpentine
Notes
Mentioned on page 15 of The Drill of the Foot-Hills 1916 Oct-Nov edition. He is listed on the Banjup War Memorial, but not included on the Spearwood Monument.