Soldier profiles

Name : ROBINSON, JOHN ALLAN
Service Number : VX18316
Date of Birth : 01/10/1918
Place of Birth : JUNEE, NSW
Known as :
Occupation on Enlistment :
Date of Enlistment : 28/05/1940
Locality on Enlistment : OLD JUNEE, NSW
Place of Enlistment : CAULFIELD, VIC
Next of Kin : ROBINSON, R
Rank (at time of discharge / death) : PRIVATE
Service : ARMY
Final Posting : 2/2 PIONEER BATTALION
Position / Platoon / Company (as 2/2 Pioneer) (date / details) :
Unit Transfers / Promotions (date / details) : DISCHARGED THEN ENLISTED JANUARY 1943 RAAF (S/N 434705)
Theatres of War : SYRIA, NEW GUINEA
Actions :
Wounded (date / details) :
Discharged : 28/01/1943
Date Died : 24/06/1945
Age at Death : 26
Community Roll of Honour : N/A
Buried Location / Memorial (P.O.W., D.O.W., K.I.A.) : N/A
K.I.A. (date / details) : N/A
D.O.W. (date / details) : N/A
M.I.A. (date / details) : N/A
P.O.W. (location/s) : NO
Died P.O.W. (date / details) : N/A
P.O.W. Camps (details) : N/A
Recovered P.O.W. (location/s) : N/A
Honours and Gallantry : None for display
Applicable Australian War Memorial circulars : NO
References found (entries & photos) : National Archives of Australia (Barcode 6204389 [NOT EXAMINED]), WW2 Nominal Roll, Australian War Memorial, AWM_P03666.001.jpg, AWM_REL31001.jpg, AWM_REL31002.001, AWM_REL31002.002, AWM_REL31002.003, AWM_REL31002.004, AWM_REL31002.005, AWM_REL31002.006, AWM_PR04044

Background : Most of the unit was diverted to Java where they were captured by the Japanese. The remainder reformed and moved to New Guinea and established headquarters in Port Moresby. In late 1942 Robinson returned to Australia for the second time to await official discharge from the army. In January 1943 he enlisted for service in RAAF with the service number 434705. He completed training at Somers and Benalla in Victoria and graduated as a Leading Aircraftman and was sent to Canada for further training. In November 1943 he was diagnosed with Tuberculosis and spent the next year in hospital in Calgary, Canada. He died from the disease at No 3 RAAF Hospital in Albury, NSW, on 24/06/1945. AWM has his Africa Star (AWM_REL31002.002), Pacific Star (AWM_REL31002.003), Defence Medal (AWM_REL31002.004), British War Medal (AWM_REL31002.005) & Australia Service Medal (AWM_REL31002.006) medals. AWm has (id PR04044) papers of 434705 Leading Aircraftman John Allan Robinson relating to his service with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during the Second World War. Robinson served as a Private with the 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion until his transfer to the RAAF in January 1943. Filed in the collection are an extensive series of letters written by Johnson to his family, beginning after his enlistment in May 1940 and finishing shortly before his death in Canada in June 1945. They describe training at Puckapunyal, service with his battalion in Palestine and Syria and his decision to transfer to the RAAF. Robinson's log book documents the flying course at Benalla in June-July 1942. Other items in the collection include a transcript of his letters and a certificate of appreciation from the Illabo shire, April 1946.