LOWE, Robert

Roberet Lowe was born on 31 December, 1893, to Robert Walter Lowe, a burcher, and his wife, Annie, nee White, of Waratah, Tasmania. He was a motor mechanic by trade, single and living in Melbourne, near to his mother, now widowed, and his sister. Annie Lowe lived at 58 Albert St., East Melbourne, while Robert was nearby at 131 Victoria Parade.

Robert Lowe joined up on 6 July, 1915, and embarked on HMAT 'Ballarat' A70, landing at Alexandria Egypt, on  24 December. He was then just under 23 years old. At Alexandria, he was attached to the 1st Company Australian Service Corps. The Service Corps  were an essential part of any military campaign, as it was their task to pick up supplies of all kinds from the ports and storage areas and deliver them to the divisionla stores at the war front. on 25 February,1916, he was transferred to Tel-el-Kebir. Along with the rest of his unit, he left for France on 22 March, landing at Marseilles on 28 March, just as the Western Front battles were about to begin. On 2 May, he was transferred to ambulance duty, presumably as a driver, with the 1st Australian Field Ambulance, but on 12 May, fell ill and was admitted to the 3rd Field Ambulance station, returning to his own unit 24 hours later. Again, on 14 June, he was admitted to the 1st Field Ambulance station with rheumatism.

The first battle of the Somme began on 1 July, 1916, with horrific casualties. Robert Lowe must have been working in horrific conditions and on 6 July, came down with pleurisy and was admitted to the 28th General Hospital,  Boulogne, before being returned to England on board H.S. 'Cambria on 7 July. From here, he was taken  t0 Bagthorpe Military Hospital, where he remained until 3 August, when he was sent on to a convalescent depot at Woodstock Park, and then to a convalescent hospital at Epsom.

Robert Lowe returned to France on 28 October, landing at Etaples. He was transferred to the 1st Division Australia Field Ambulance and posted to the 4th Battalion. The Battle of the Somme was on-going. By November, the major actions were at Ancre Heights and Ancre, but with winter approaching, the pace of war reduced. Robert Lowe was again ill, and transferred to hospital on 28 December, 1916, this time with gonorrhea, he was admitted to a casualty Clearing Station on 30 December and then admitted to the 13th Australian Field Ambulance station and on to the 51st Military Hospital at Etaples. He was not discharged until 14 February, 1917, 51 days after being afflicted. 

From hospital, he was sent to the 2nd Field Ambulance brigade and remained with them until October, 1918. During this time, he had been given three weeks leave from 22 September to 15 December, 1917, which he took in Paris. On 19 October, 1918, he was transferred, at his own request, to the 1st Motor Transport Company. Perhaps he had seen too many wounded and dead soldiers and wanted work which dealt with goods, rather than people. He served as a driver on railhead duty, moving goods and munitions from railway depots out to the battlefields. In November,  he was again due for leave, and went back to England from 16-30. He was again sick while on leave and it may have been at this time that he met his future wife, Beatrice Helen Skegg, whom he was to marry on 29 October, 1919, at St George's Church, Hanover Square. 

This illness marked the end of his time at the war front. On 30 December, 1918, a month after the war came to a clsoe, he was in the 1st Auxiliary Hospital and was discharged  to AIF command in London. He was detached from the 1st Motor Trabsport Company and transferred to Administrative Headquarters in London, presumably still as a driver/motor mechanic, this time with the AMTS, presumably the Australian Motor Transport Service, at Chelsea.

Robert Lowe was relieved of duty on 17 February, 1919. he had given four years of service to his country and rteurned to Australia on board the'Ormonde'.