{"id":8722,"date":"2010-05-18T22:07:28","date_gmt":"2010-05-18T11:07:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fffaif.org.au\/"},"modified":"2010-05-18T22:07:28","modified_gmt":"2010-05-18T11:07:28","slug":"case-book-6-sgt-maurice-robinson","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/fffaif.org.au\/?page_id=8722","title":{"rendered":"Case Book 6 – Sgt Maurice Robinson"},"content":{"rendered":"

11 SERGEANT Maurice ROBINSON,\u00a0 MID
\n<\/strong>1st<\/sup> ANZAC Corps Headquarters\/ 4th<\/sup> Divisional MMP<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0There were in fact three Maurice Robinsons within the 1st<\/sup> AIF, and something like nearly a thousand soldiers and nurses named Robinson who served in Australian forces during the Great War.\u00a0 Maurice (Maurie) and his brother, Ethelbert (Bert) were both raised in the Wangaratta district (Maurie had been born at Chiltern); they were the sons of Harry and Winifred Robinson from \u2018Boralma\u2019 via Springhurst. The photo below shows Harry and Winifred with their three other sons and their daughter, the portrait was taken while both Maurie and Bert were away at the war.<\/p>\n

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Maurie and Bert were both single when they enlisted in 1915, Maurie was slightly older, he was nearly 25, Bert was close to turning 23, no doubt the pair were inspired by the exploits of the Anzacs on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Maurie described himself as a contractor when he enlisted on 7 July 1915; he was still living and working around Wangaratta. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0Bert (shown left) didn\u2019t enlist until 5 October 1915 he was actually working as a mounted police constable at Wagga Wagga prior to enlisting; he chose to take his discharge from the police force and returned to Wangaratta to enlist.<\/p>\n

Upon enlisting Maurie did most of his training at the Broadmeadows Camp, here he was allotted to the 8th<\/sup> Infantry Brigade Headquarters, most probably straight away becoming a MMP (military mounted policeman) \u00a0this is not formally verified.\u00a0 Maurie sailed with his unit aboard the Ascanius<\/em>, (shown below) departing Melbourne on 9 November 1915, Bert would not sail for Egypt until January 1916.<\/p>\n

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Maurie Robinson was formally transferred to the 1st<\/sup> ANZAC Corps Headquarters on 25 March 1916, only days before that unit sailed for the Western Front; Maurie continued to be employed as a MMP.\u00a0 Maurie\u2019s unit sailed from Alexandria aboard the Transylvania <\/em>on 29 March, as well as the MMP element of 1st<\/sup> ANZAC Headquarters there were also several detachments of Divisional MMP on board the troopship, the Transylvania<\/em> arrived at Marseilles in France on 4 April. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Bert Robinson had in fact beaten his brother in arriving on the Western Front.\u00a0 Bert had sailed to Egypt as part of the 14th<\/sup> re-enforcements for the 4th<\/sup> Light Horse Regiment, but like a large portion of his draft he had volunteered to serve as a cyclist on the Western Front.\u00a0 Now part of the 2nd<\/sup> Division Cyclist Company Bert sailed for France on 25 March.<\/p>\n

No doubt Maurie and Bert\u2019s paths would have regularly crossed over the next few years as they served on the Western Front.\u00a0 As a cyclist much of Bert\u2019s time would have been spent carrying out traffic duties and working alongside the MMP and the Divisional traffic men.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0Upon their arrival in France the AIF\u2019s MMP adopted many of the practices of the British Military Police; the British RMP had been on the Western Front for over eighteen months and had honed their skills during that time.\u00a0 Egypt and Gallipoli had provided some experience to the Australian MMP, but nowhere near enough to prepare them for the Western Front.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Major John Williams, who was the APM (Assistant Provost Marshal) in charge of the 1st<\/sup> ANZAC MMP and all the Australian Divisional MMP, also studied and adopted some of the French Armies methods of traffic control.<\/p>\n

Like the other AIF troops the MMP were able to learn their role in France around the relatively quiet Armentieres sector.\u00a0 The MMP would be sorely tested in later battles and would suffer their share of casualties as a result of shrapnel as they often manned exposed intersections and positions.\u00a0 The Australian MMP manned similar posts to their British counter-parts, close to the front straggler posts helped control the movement of men to and from the frontline, further back the posts were known as traffic posts.<\/p>\n

The primary tasks for the Australian military police were the same as for rest of the British Army:<\/p>\n