The poignant 1914/15 Star, British War Medal. NZ Territorial Service Medal group issued to 13/312 Robert Gillespie, who served on Gallipoli and during the campaign in Egypt and Palestine, gaining a field commissioning only to take his own life in 1920.

 

Robert Gillespie was born 12th September 1893 at Drury, New Zealand, son of Robert and Margaret Gillespie. He joined the 16th (Waikato) Regiment in 1911, and worked as a labourer whilst residing in Auckland. On the outbreak of war in August 1914 Robert enlisted in the Auckland Mounted Rifles, embarking with the Main Body, 3rd (Auckland) Squadron. After a period of training in Egypt, during which he won a sports medal for "wrestling on horseback", he landed on Gallipoli in mid-May 1915. He served throughout the major actions, including Chunuk Bair and Hill 60, being promoted corporal on 28th August 1915. At the end of August he was evacuated to Mudros suffering from influenza. He recovered by mid-October and is likely to have returned to Gallipoli, serving until the evacuation in December.

Unlike so many other mounted riflemen, Robert did not transfer to the NZ Division in France, but remained with the AMR where he was promoted to sergeant in August 1916 following the death of Sgt. M Vipond at the Battle of Kantara. A year later, in June 1917, Robert was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, serving with 4th (Waikato) Squadron. In August 1917 Robert embarked for New Zealand. It was a fairly common practice to bring experienced men back to New Zealand to enhance the training for recruits in New Zealand. He re-embarked  with the 38th Reinforcements, serving with 11th (North Auckland) Squadron in Palestine until the end of the war. He was promoted to lieutenant in December 1918. After the war Robert took up dairy farming at Taurikura on the Whangarei Heads, and qualified for the NZ Territorial Service Medal in October 1919.

 

For reasons which may never be known Robert Gilliespie took his own life on 29th October 1920. A newspaper article from the time explained:

 

"A returned soldier settler, Mr. Robert Gillespie, who has been dairy-farming in a somewhat isolated district at Whangarei Heads, was found dead last night with a bullet wound through his forehead. The deceased was a Main Body man, and had gained a commission in the Mounted Rifles. He was 35 years of age, and unmarried. The Whangarei police, on being informed of the death, chartered a launch and went down to investigate late last night. They found the body, clothed in working attire, lying on a bed in the homestead, with an army service revolver clasped in both hands directed toward the head. There was evidence that Mr. Gillespie had partly completed milking his cows. He was last seen alive on Wednesday, when he visited Whangarei. He is reported to have complained of pains in the head on the return journey from Whangarei to Taurikura wharf, where he would disembark for his farm, two miles distant. The body was brought to Whangarei to-day, and an inquest was formally opened before the coroner, Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M., and adjourned until Wednesday."

 

Robert was buried in Auckland's Purewa Cemetery.

 

The 1914/15 Star and BWM are correctly impressed 13/312 LIEUT. R. GILLESPIE. N.Z.E.F. and the NZTSM is correctly engraved LIEUT. R. GILLESPIE, R. OF O. (TEMP) (1919). Group also comes with a sports medallion won by Robert for "wrestling on horseback" and is dated 25th April 1915 - the day of the Gallipoli landings.

The portait of Robert Gillespie is a digital copy from the Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, 31-G480. The group photo taken in the desert shows Robert Gillespie second from left. It was published in the official history of the Auckland Mounted Rifles "The story of two campaigns", and the original photograph is held by the Auckland War Memorial Museum (Ref PH-2015-3-4-63).

Full service file held at Archives New Zealand

Partial service file held at Archives New Zealand