A century on from the end of World War I we acknowledge their service …
Lest we forget.
Private Robert James Warren
Born: 8 May 1897 Carlton. Died: 14 July 1966 Heidelberg.
Enlisted: 14 February 1916 aged 18.
Served: Western Front.
Bob was a son of Robert Charles Warren and his wife Catherine Quinn, a pioneering family first settling at Pakenham Upper/Nar Nar Goon North in the 1870s. Their property at Nar Nar Goon North was known as “Cherry Hill”. Bob attended school at Nar Nar Goon and following in his father’s footsteps as an orchardist. During 1917, the 21st Battalion participated in major battles on the Western Front at Bullecourt, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Ypres and Broodseinde Ridge. On 24 April 1918, Bob was gassed in the vicinity of Lavieville – Millencourt, near Albert. When this was reported back home, it was noted that Bob had “been through some of the most important battles”. He rejoined his Battalion three months later. Following the end of the War, Bob was given leave in England, but was hospitalised with laryngitis, which may have been symptomatic of the lingering effects of his earlier gassing. For many years, Bob was a saw miller in the Nar Nar Goon North/Gembrook area. In 1925, he married Margaret Madden and the couple raised a family.
This is an extract from Patrick Ferry’s book A Century After The Guns Fell Silent – Remembering the Pakenham District’s WWI Diggers 1914-18.
For more details on this and other profiles in the book, head to the website www.pakenhamww1.com
