Private
Robert Ronald Trotter
Robert Ronald Trotter was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on the 29th of January 1909 to Mr Robert Trotter and Mrs Helen Trotter (nee Simpson). Robert migrated to Australia in 1926 aged 17, arriving in Queensland on 13th of September 1926 on the ship Euripides.
Service Number: | QX17300 |
Place of Enlistment: | Kelvin Grove |
Age of Enlistment: | 31 Years, 6 months |
Date Of Enlistment: | 25th of June 1940 |
Embarked: | Fremantle, 7th of August 19411 |
Transport Ship: | HMAT ‘EE’ for Singapore |
Medals: | 1939-45 Star, Pacific Star, War Medal, Australian Service Medal |
Place of Death: | Taken Prisoner of War on 16th of February 1942 at the Fall of Singapore. Died of Illness 15th of July 1944, Malaya |
Resting Place: | Buried Kranji War Cemetery 4. B. 7 Singapore |
Unit: | Australian Army Service Corps |
Robert Ronald Trotter was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on the 29th of January 1909 to Mr Robert Trotter and Mrs Helen Trotter (nee Simpson). Robert had at least one sibling, his older sister Violet. I believe that he had other siblings, however I cannot be certain as the official Scottish registry provides limited information. Robert migrated to Australia in 1926 aged 17, arriving in Queensland on 13th of September 1926 on the ship Euripides. He seems to have lived in various locations across Queensland with his last address listed as Hope Island, where he made a living as a share farmer. Although he listed his sister Mrs Violet Semmens as his next of kin, he was engaged to a young widow from Brisbane called Mrs Eva Cleave.
Private Trotter served primarily as a driver in the 27th Infantry Brigade's Support Company, Australian Army Service Corps. After his arrival in Singapore, he served with the Divisional Ammunition Column. Following the Fall of Singapore, he was forced to work on the Thai-Burma Railroad. Records provided by his Japanese captors show that he died of septicaemia on the 15th of July 1944. Private Trotter’s War Medals were presented to his fiancée; Mrs Eva Cleave who subsequently donated them to the Australian War Memorial. Images of the medals and additional information about Private Trotter can be found at the Australian War Memorial, which includes a detailed account of the conditions that he and his fellow prisoners laboured under prior to his death.
During the 70-day Japanese campaign in Malaya and Singapore, Commonwealth casualties amounted to 8,708 killed or wounded and 138,000 captured. Of the 18,490 Australian troops deployed, 1,789 were killed and 1,306 were wounded, with most of the surviving troops becoming prisoners of war. In total 38,496 British, 67,340 Indian and 14,382 local troops served in this campaign, most of whom were captured. It was the worst defeat for British Commonwealth forces in the entire Second World War.
Over 22,000 Australians would become prisoners of the Japanese during the Second World War. More than 8,000 Australians died in Japanese captivity, most of these deaths were due to the indifference and brutality of their captors. Deaths from illness (as in the case of Private Trotter) and malnutrition were commonplace.
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Kranji War Cemetery - Photo Commonwealth War Graves Instagram
Kranji War Cemetery - Video James Tann Youtube
Medals & Awards
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The 1939–45 Star is a campaign medal awarded to Australians who had served between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945 for a minimum of 6 months, or two months for air crew personnel.
The Pacific Star was awarded for operational service in the Pacific Theatre of Operations between 8 December 1941 and 2 September 1945
The Australia Service Medal 1939-45 was instituted in 1949 to recognise the service of members of the Australian Armed Forces and the Australian Mercantile Marine during World War II.
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