Soldier profiles

Name : SYMONDS, ROBERT
Service Number : VX47759
Date of Birth : 21/01/1919
Place of Birth : HOBART, TAS
Known as :
Occupation on Enlistment : STOREMAN
Date of Enlistment : 20/07/1940
Locality on Enlistment : TOORAK, VIC
Place of Enlistment : CAULFIELD, VIC
Next of Kin : SYMONDS, THELMA
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) :
Theatres of War :
Actions :
Wounded (date / details) :
Discharged : 19/02/1946
Date Died : N/A
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 6130528 [DIGITISED], Barcode 8739421 [OPEN], Barcode 8744021 [OPEN]), WW2 Nominal Roll

Background : Son of Thelma Symonds.

Service & personal summary At enlistment : single. 18 months MT 24/39 Battalion previous military experience. At discharge : height 5 feet 9 inches, blue eyes, fair complexion, brown hair. Marital status : single. Marks / scars : tattoos both arms. Full time war service : A.I.F. 20/07/1940 to 19/02/1946 which included 1991 days active service (1091 days within Australia & 637 days overseas). Operational service : Middle East area (embarked from Australia 07/04/1941, disembarked in Australia 04/08/1942), Borneo area (embarked from Australia 04/05/1945, disembarked in Australia 23/11/1945). War badge no. 277908. Discharge certificate no. 493624.

Service record
20/07/1940 Taken on strength Recruit Reception Depot Caulfield, Victoria.
20/09/1940 Transferred to 2/2 Pioneer Training Battalion Hamilton, Victoria from Recruit Reception Depot.
30/10/1940 Posted to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion Puckapunyal, Seymour, Victoria.
30/10/1940 Posted from Pioneer Training Battalion.
07/04/1941 Embarked Sydney, New South Wales on H.M.S. Queen Mary (H.M.T. N.N.).
03/05/1941 Disembarked Middle East.
12/06/1941 Transferred to Pioneer Training Battalion Australian Imperial Forces.
12/06/1941 Marched in.
04/07/1941 Marched out to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion.
06/07/1941 Taken on strength from Pioneer Training Battalion.
08/07/1941 Evacuated to 1 Australian General Hospital with anxiety state and transferred to X list.
12/07/1941 Discharged 1 Australian General Hospital and transferred to Pioneer Training Battalion.
12/07/1941 Marched in.
24/07/1941 Marched out to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion.
25/07/1941 Taken on strength from Pioneer Training Battalion.
04/08/1941 Transferred to 7 Australian General Hospital.
04/08/1941 Taken on strength from 2/2 Pioneer Battalion.
09/08/1941 Transferred to Australian Army Medical Corps Training Wing.
09/08/1941 Marched in Australian Army Medical Corps Training Wing.
21/09/1941 Evacuated to 1 Australian General Hospital.
04/10/1941 Discharged 1 Australian General Hospital and marched in XXXX.
20/10/1941 Detached to 1 Australian General Hospital.
31/10/1941 Rejoined unit.
01/11/1941 Marched out to 4 Australian General Hospital.
01/11/1941 Taken on strength.
10/03/1942 Embarked Middle East.
27/03/1942 Disembarked Ceylon.
07/07/1942 Embarked Ceylon on S.S. City of Canterbury.
04/08/1942 Disembarked Melbourne, Victoria.
12/10/1942 Marched out to Queensland Lines of Communication area.
02/05/1944 Marched out to course at Land Headquarters School of Army Cooking and Catering.
31/05/1944 Marched in from course at Land Headquarters School of Army Cooking and Catering.
23/11/1944 Graded Group II Cook.
13/04/1945 Relinquished Group II Cook (inefficiency).
04/05/1945 Embarked Brisbane, Queensland on U.S.A.T. Sea Cat.
13/05/1945 Disembarked Morotai.
21/06/1945 Embarked Morotai on U.S.S. LST-942 for service British North Borneo.
?14/07/1945 Disembarked.
10/11/1945 Embarked Labuan on Wanganella.
23/11/1945 Disembarked Sydney, New South Wales.
28/11/1945 Transferred to Australian Camp Staff Puckapunyal, Seymour, Victoria.
28/11/1945 Transferred from 2/4 Australian General Hospital.
12/02/1946 Transferred to Leave and Transit Depot, Victoria discharge.
14/02/1946 Marched in for disposal.
19/02/1946 Marched in Australian Military Forces Discharge Depot, Victoria ex Leave and Transit Depot, Victoria.
19/02/1946 Discharged Royal Park, Victoria.