Robert Tilsley
Born 1 Dec 1892 - Died 18 Apr 1969
- Service number
- 12/472 AWMM
- 65661 AWMM
- Also known as
- Bob AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Last rank
- Lieutenant Colonel/Military NZ Gazette
- War
Images
Documents
About birth
- Birth
- 1 Dec 1892 AWMM
- Date of birth
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- Place of birth
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- Birth notes
- —
- Address before enlistment
- WW1 Pre 11 Aug 1914 AWMM Rotorua, New Zealand AWMM
- Post war occupation
- Next of kin
- WW1 Mrs Jessie Tilsley (mother), Hobson Street, Auckland, New Zealand AWMM
- Relationship status
- Pre 16 Oct 1914 AWMM Single/WWI AWMM
- Pre 1941 AWMM Married/WWII AWMM
Wars and conflicts
- War
- Campaign
- 1915-1916 AWMM Gallipoli AWMM
- 1st & 2nd Battles of Somme AWMM
- 1917 AWMM Battle of Messines Ridge AWMM
- 1917 AWMM Passchendaele AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Service number
- 12/472 AWMM
- 65661 AWMM
- Military service
- Auckland Regiment 1st Battalion 1920-1935 AWMM
- Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers
- —
Military decorations
- Medals and Awards
- Military Cross (MC) AWMM
Citation for M.C. : Lieutenant, 1st Batt., Auckland Regiment. For gallantry and devotion to duty, on the night of 26th September 1916, he obtained a full report on the wire in front of Gird (spelled Grid in original document) Trench. On the 27th September he went out to clear up the situation on the left flank and although wounded in the leg he crawled froward and obtained the necessary information. London Gazette 03/06/1918 AWMM - Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) AWMM
Citation for D.C.M.: Sergeant, Auckland Battalion. For conspicuous gallantry on the night of of the 4th-5th June, 1915, on the occasion of a sortie from Quinn's Post (Dardanelles). An enemy trench had been carried by assault, but was enfiladed by the fire of a machine-gun. Sergeant Tilsley commenced to build up a sandbag traverse, and notwithstanding that the sandbags were being constantly blown away by the enemy's bombs, he, with great courage and regardless of danger, continued his efforts until he was severely wounded. London Gazette 06/09/1915 AWMM - 1914-1915 Star AWMM
- British War Medal (1914-1920) AWMM
- Victory Medal with oak leaf AWMM
- War Medal 1939-1945 AWMM
- New Zealand War Service Medal AWMM
- Mentioned in Despatches (MiD) AWMM
2nd Lieutenant, Auckland Regiment. For distinguished and gallant services and devotion to duty. Field Marshal D. Haig, Commander0in -chielf the British Armies in France, Despatch dated 9th April 1917. AWMM - King George V Silver Jubilee Medal 1935 AWMM
- Coronation Medal 1937 AWMM
- New Zealand Territorial Service Medal AWMM
- New Zealand Long and Efficient Service Medal AWMM
- Efficiency Decoration (ED) AWMM
- ANZAC Commemorative Medallion AWMM
- Military Cross (MC) AWMM
Training and Enlistment
- Military training
- —
- Branch Trade Proficiency
- —
- Enlistment
- WW1 11 Aug 1914 Data Entry Form
Age 21 AWMM
Electrical engineer/Civilian AWMM - WW2 1941 2NZEF Nom. Roll 4, p.352 Electrical inspector/Civilian 2NZEF Nom. Roll 4, p.352
- WW1 11 Aug 1914 Data Entry Form
- Age on enlistment
- —
- Occupation before enlistment
- —
Embarkations
- Embarkation details
- WW1 16 Oct 1914-03 Dec 1914 AWMM
HMNZT 8 or HMNZT 12 AWMM Vessel was Waimana AWMM Private AWMM Auckland Infantry Battalion AWMM Main Body AWMM - WW2 Major/Military 2NZEF Nom. Roll 4, p.352 Ship's staff 2NZEF Nom. Roll 4, p.352 Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force AWMM
2nd Embarkation AWMM
- WW1 16 Oct 1914-03 Dec 1914 AWMM
Prisoner of war
- Capture details
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- Days interned
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- Liberation date
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- POW liberation details
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- Liberation Repatriation
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- POW serial number
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Medical history
- Medical notes
- Hospital Diseases , Wounds, WWI AWMM
Wounded three times: 5 June 1915, 28 September 1916, 7 June 1917. AWMM
Last known rank
- Last rank
- Lieutenant Colonel/Military NZ Gazette
- Last rank
- —
Biographical information
- Robert Tilsley was an electrical engineer by trade. Robert moved to Rotorua before enlisting for the army in World War I along with his brother Walter (31766). Walter was later killed in France in 1918.
After the war he was first Commanding Officer (CO) at Papakura Military Camp. In 1926 he married Marjory Lydia Gladys Lou Helps.
Serving with the Auckland Regiment 1st Battalion 1920-1935 he attained the rank of Lieutenant 8 January 1926; Captain 16 May 1928; Major 23 June 1931 and Lieutenant Colonel 24 June 1935
He was a Lieutenant Colonel with the New Zealand Temporary Staff from 6 October 1941 for the Northern Military District: an Area Officer, No 4 Area - Hamilton, Area Commander and 11 staff
He trained the Railway Company for the desert unit during the World War II African campaign.
"A valiant military man: Lieutenant Colonel Robert Tilsley
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Tilsley displayed courage and strategic thinking during the Battle of Passchendaele, and was later presented with a Military Cross and a Distinguished Conduct Medal.
"For conspicuous gallantry on the night of of the 4th-5th June, 1915, on the occasion of a sortie from Quinn's Post (Dardanelles). An enemy trench had been carried by assault, but was enfiladed by the fire of a machine-gun.
Sergeant Tilsley commenced to build up a sandbag traverse, and notwithstanding that the sandbags were being constantly blown away by the enemy's bombs, he, with great courage and regardless of danger, continued his efforts until he was severely wounded". London Gazette, 06/09/1915.
Lieutenant Colonel Tilsley went on to survive the war, despite his wounds at Passchendaele. A photograph of him in uniform was contributed to Online Cenotaph." Coombe, Sophie. Remembering New Zealand’s ‘Darkest Day’ . Auckland War Memorial Museum - Tāmaki Paenga Hira. First published: 10 October 2017. Updated: 12 October 2017. AWMM
About death
- Death
- 18 Apr 1969 AWMM
Age 76 AWMM - Date of death
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- Age at death
- —
- Place of death
- —
- Cause of death
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- Death notes
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- Cemetery
- Mangere Public Cemetery, Auckland, New Zealand AWMM
- Cemetery name
- —
- Grave reference
- —
- Obituary
- New Zealand Herald, 19 April 1969 AWMM
- Memorial name
- —
- Memorial reference
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Memorial
- Memorial name
- —
Related objects
Sources
- External links
- Military Personnel file
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R24207851
Further Reference - Military Personnel file
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R24064091
Further Reference - New Zealand Electronic Text Collection topic page
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/name-130209.html
Further Reference - Cenotaph feature "Remembering New Zealand's 'Darkest Day'"
http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/features/remembering-nzs-darkest-day
Further Reference
- Military Personnel file
- References
- Macdonald, L. (1978). Passchendaele : the story of the third Battle of Ypres 1917. London : Penguin Books.
- Harper, G. (2000). Massacre at Passchendaele : the New Zealand story. Auckland, N.Z.: HarperCollins.
- New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1914-1919). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Volume I. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
Vol1: 727 - The New Zealand Herald
New Zealand Herald, 19 April 1969 - New Zealand Gazette
8 March 1956, No. 13, p. 309 - McDonald, W. (2001). Honours and awards to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Great War, 1914-1918. Napier, N.Z.: Helen McDonald.
p.262 - Beattie, P.J. & Pomeroy, M. (2013-2020). Onward : portraits of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (vols 1-5). Auckland, New Zealand: Fair Dinkum Publications
Vol. 2: Includes portrait - Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1941). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 4 (Embarkations from 1st April, 1941 to 30 June, 1941). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
p.352 - McDonald, W. (2013). Honours and Awards to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Great War, 1914-1918. (3rd ed.). Hamilton, N.Z.: Richard Stowers.
- Waite, F. (1919). The New Zealanders at Gallipoli. Auckland, N.Z.: Printed and published under Authority of the New Zealand Government by Whitcombe & Tombs.
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