Captain William Leefe Robinson, V.C. - Joins the Army
As 1914 approached, the Robinson family was busy planning for a future that never came. Two of the girls married, Grace to her cousin Arthur Linell Robinson, who later worked in West Africa as a mining engineer, and Ruth, who had stayed in India, to John Irwin who ran the Jumboor Coffee estate in North Coorg. Harold passed his final exams and returned to India, to manage a tea estate, while Kitty was tempted to return to Russia where she had so enjoyed her time as a governess with Baroness von der Recke. William applied himself to his self appointed task of entering the army, and succeeded. His last year at St Bees, no longer in the shadow of his elder brother Harold, was probably his best. He was appointed head of Eaglesfield House, and as a Sergeant in the OTC he had his first experience of army life at the large 'camp' which took place at Mytchett in Kent. There is no reference in the correspondence to the R.E. exams, but on 14th August 1914 William entered Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Then the outbreak of war put paid to hopes of Indian or Egyptian army service. William was gazetted on the 16th December 1914 to the Worcester Regiment, and was posted to Tregantle in Cornwall, where he joined the Fifth Militia Battalion. A winter in the West Country, spent training, soon made Robinson restless. His letters home describe the rounds of chores. "I am orderly officer today so I am not off duty 'till twelve midnight. At 10 p.m. it is Sergeants absentee parade, 10.15 lights out, and at 11.15 I have to set out and turn out all the guards and see they are all awake and about their duty—one guard is posted about a mile from the fort. I had to run in a whole lot of men last time I was orderly officer for gambling at about 12.30. I told you about the drunken captain in command of our company didn't I? Well, he's sent in his papers thank goodness, I have got his job of superintending the digging of fresh trenches between the two forts." |
William Leefe Robinson |
In another letter to his parents, William wrote:
"The latest news is that I have put in my name for a West African job. The only drawback is the climate. I'm told subs (subaltern) get £25 a month besides all kinds of allowances, and at any rate the fighting out there is far more lively and sporting than in France, at any rate at the present stagnant period. But although they want officers out in West Africa, I'm afraid I won't get it as I'm too young, one really ought to be over 21 years of age, and a full Lieutenant."
"The war is sickening, the other day I heard of the death of a great friend of mine at school, Hawkesworth by name—we all called him "nailer"—he was one of the best of fellows. And there are several awfully nice Sandhurst men I know who have met the same fate—yet I'm longing to get out somehow—I want to be doing something."
While William fretted in Cornwall, the first airship raid over England took place. On the night of the 19th-20th January 1915, two airships dropped bombs over East Anglia. Although it was a relatively minor affair, it was a prelude of things to come.
By March 1915 things had not improved and William wrote again to his mother:
"I haven't heard anything about that African job yet. I'm afraid it's a washout as I'm too young. So you would advise me to stay in an English regiment mother. Of course the climate is all in favour of it—and I mean to marry in another seven years, and then again comes the bother of the Indian climate. It's funny, I often wonder what kind of girl I will at last pick up. If she is half, no an eighth as sweet as my dear old mater, I will consider myself the luckiest of men."