Robert (Bob) Sidney Newman Mitchell

Robinvale’s War Heritage

Bob Sydney Newman Mitchell was born on 7 December 1921 and died in Melbourne, Victoria at the age of 82 on 16 March 2003.

Bob served on the HMAS Perth from 1939-1945 joining the navy as a 19 year old. By the time he returned home both his mother and father had died.

Bob served on the HMAS Perth during the Siege of Malta. During a 4 week period in early May 1942, waves of Messerschmitt Me 109 and Junkers attacked the navy in Vallenttia Harbour, including the HMAS Perth with Bob on board. Bob was fortunate to survive the attacks which started pre-down and finished after dusk and continued for another 4 weeks of un-relentless bombardment from Messerschmitt and Junkers aircraft.

Bob’s diary shows that Bob was on the HMAS Perth in Valletta, Malta on 16-17 January 1941.
[Diary entry for 16-17 Jan 1941. WHERE WAS BOB?]

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Below are some extracts from Bob’s difficult to decipher diary. Bob claims that the stains are from blood but they look more like coffee stains.

How can we imagine the terror of not knowing if the next wave of aircraft, emerging from the pre-dawn light from just above the horizon, was going to send you to the bottom of the deep trench that surrounded Valletta harbour. The Messerschmitt and Junker aircraft were very heavy having a corrugated sheet-metal cladding. With great relief, the better designed and lighter Spitfire aircraft arrived and was able to repel the slaughter.

Squadron Leader Stan Turner to AOC Sir Hugh Lloyd about the situation on Malta “Either, sir, we get the Spitfires here within days, not weeks, or we’re done. That’s it.”

After World War 2, in 1945 the Australian Government introduced the War Service Land Settlement Scheme where former soldiers were integrated back into the community as quickly as possible to boost agricultural production.

HMAS Perth

HMAS Perth (I) was a modified Leander class cruiser that operated during the Second World War. It was built by the Royal Navy in 1933 and named HMS Amphion. The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) purchased the cruiser in 1939. It was commissioned into the RAN on 29 June 1939.

During the Second World War, Perth carried out escort and patrol duties in the West Indies and western Atlantic.

In January 1941 Perth transported troops to Crete and Malta. While in port at Malta, Perth was damaged in an air raid. From 9 to 20 February it was in dock at Alexandria for repair.

In the first half of March the ship took part in the reinforcement of forces in Greece. It took two trips with troops from Alexandria to Piraeus.

During the night of 28 March, Perth played a minor role in the Battle of Matapan. In that battle, the Italian Navy lost three cruisers and two destroyers. The British lost five Fleet Air Arm aircraft.

In late April 1941 Perth evacuated troops from Greece to Crete. On 28 April 1941, Perth’s aircraft was shot down off Suda Bay, but its crew of three was rescued.

Perth continued with patrols and convoy escort duties in May 1941. The cruiser had escaped damage in German air attacks several times.

At 08:00 on 20 May 1941, German paratroopers, jumping out of dozens of Junkers Ju 52 aircraft, landed near Maleme Airfield and the town of Chania. Bob took a photo of this invasion.

On 22 May German aircraft succeeded in damaging the Perth by a near miss. Perth had urgent repairs at Alexandria from 24 to 28 May.

On 28 May, Perth sailed for Crete to assist in the evacuation. The cruiser was attacked en route by a German aircraft but escaped damage. The convoy was attacked five times on the return from Crete. On 30 May Perth was hit by a bomb in a boiler room. The cruiser had 1188 passengers on board. Two cooks, two sailors and nine passengers were killed. The boiler room was put out of action.

Late in June, Perth operated off Syria against Vichy French forces. It bombarded shore positions and patrolled.

On 14 February 1942, Perth sailed for Java. It arrived on 24 February at Batavia (Tanjong Priok). It was attacked by Japanese aircraft on 24 and 25 February, but was not damaged.

During the night of 27 February Perth participated in the Battle of the Java Sea. A 14 ship American, British, Dutch and Australian force engaged Japanese naval forces. Five Allied ships were lost. Perth and USS Houston were lucky to survive.

On 28 February Perth received air intelligence of an enemy force sighting. It consisted of 10 transports escorted by two cruisers and three destroyers. They were spotted 50 nm north east of Batavia proceeding on an easterly course.

According to Lieutenant John Harper RN, Perth’s navigation officer, Captain Hector ML Waller RAN DSO, thought that the Japanese would land at night, east of Batavia. Captain Waller did not think the invasion convoy escort would interfere Perth and Houston’s passage through the Sunda Strait.

Perth led Houston on a course along the Java coast. Perth sighted Babi Island on the starboard beam 1.5 miles distant at 22:45. At that time, the Japanese Western Invasion Convoy had already entered Bantam Bay.

Perth appears to have been first sighted by Japanese destroyer Fubuki. Fubuki was on patrol north-east of Bantam Bay before the Japanese were spotted by the Allied cruisers.

At 23:06 a lookout in Perth saw a vessel about five miles off St Nicholas Point. It was a Japanese destroyer, believed to be Harukaze. Perth and Houston immediately engaged it. Soon, other destroyers appeared to the north.

Perth received its first hit at 23:26, its second at 23:32 and a third at 23:50. Lieutenant Peter Hancox RAN reported that ammunition was reduced to a few 6-inch practice shells and some star shells.

Captain Waller decided to force a passage through Sunda Strait. He ordered full speed and altered course for Toppers Island. Perth had barely steadied on course when it was struck on the starboard side by a torpedo at 00:05. A few minutes later Perth received a second torpedo hit on the starboard side. Captain Waller gave the order to abandon ship. Perth sank at approximately 00:25. It had been hit two more torpedoes–one on its starboard side, the other on the port.

Houston was still fighting although on fire. It was hit by torpedoes and sank shortly after Perth. Fire from Perth and Houston destroyed the Japanese transport Sakura Maru, and three other transports including the headquarters ship Ryujo Maru.

Most of Perth’s crew abandoned ship between the second and third torpedoes. However, it is doubtful if any of the boats successfully launched. During the abandon ship operation, Perth was under fire from several destroyers at close range. Many crew members were killed or wounded in the water by the explosion of the last two torpedoes and by shells exploding in the water.

At the time of its loss, Perth’s ship’s company totalled 681. This included:

Casualties included:

Soldiers Settlement at Robinvale

At the time of the Soldier’s Settlement there was “nothing but bushland” and a brick hotel.

Robinvale was founded in the early twentieth century.

It was chosen for a site for a Soldier’s Settlement becuase of its “virgin land and irrigation potential”.

Seven and a half million acres of land was provided for eligible ex-service members to settle on, including a large settlement around Robinvale, in Victoria’s north west. The soldiers, including Bob, were given land but nothing else.\

Bob was allocated the block number 26E in the 12th allotment in December 1953.

From the age of 12, Ruth lived in a un-lined shearing shed with her younger sister Bronwyn and younger brother Rob whilst Bob planted 5 acres [2 hectares ] of sultanas and gordon grape vines for the dried fruit market and built the packing sheds for the raisins and sultanas. Oranges were also planted as well as roses at the end of each trellis.

Wilma was a talented dress-maker and had a shop in the main street of Robinvale.

Every block had a corrugated iron shed built first for the settler and his wife (if he was married) to live in while the house was being built. This shed later became “pickers” quarters, where the pickers lived during harvest. All sheds and houses were built by Government appointed contractors.

Rob and Wilma were married on 1st November 1948.

Ruth was only 12 when we moved into the packing shed. My younger sister (Bronwyn) and brother (Rob) were not even born. Bronwyn was 8 years younger (DOB 28 November 1956) and Rob 11 years younger (DOB 9 August 1961). They moved into the house two years later. There was no running water and the toilet was still outside. No flushing toilet in those days. They did have electricity.

Ruth was born in Nyay West, Victoria (DOB 2 September 1950).

Nyah West is a town in Victoria (Australia) near the Murray River, the border with New South Wales. It is 370km [230mi] NE of Melbourne and 30km [17mi] NW of Swan Hill. It is 5km [3mi] from Nyah which is located on the Murray River.

From September 1968 to December 1969 Ruth trained as Mother Craft Nurse at Tweedle Baby Hospital, Footscray.

Both Bronwyn and Robert were borm in Robinvale.

Ruth remembers sleeping on the verandah at the front of the house (with a mosquito net) or sleeping on the grass outside. Fortunately, because of the low-humidity, we very rarely got damp.

She looked after Bronwyn and Rob at a rather early age whilst Bob attended his block and Wilma looked after her dress shop in Euston. Wilma was a very talented dressmaker, making wedding dresses and other formal attire as well as selling fabric.

Ruth and Bronwyn road their push bikes to the end of the road, hiding them in the grass and catching the school bus to Robinvale which was about 20 minutes away. It was not very comfortable in winter time. It was never dark going to school or coming back home even in mid-winter.

A 1979 Perspective – by J & V.E. Forbes

Who would have ever dreamed, beyond Harbinson’s Hill, blocks would be settled as you see it today?

Settlers, men returned from the 1945 war, to be remembered, or perhaps to leave a gift for their children. Land was allocated, tin huts built by previous allocations made available. Families arrived in March, July, November and January.

With the sun on their backs the men and women toiled, daylight until dark – every day, no holidays, for two years until the vines were planted.

There was no roads, no electricity, no water connected – we were rationed to a delivery twice per week – no phones, no houses. But we did have tinme walls, a rook over our heads to call our own, and a spirit of pioneering which importatnly has been kept alive wi8th another generation of sons of our settlers today keeping on the blocks in the tradition of their fathers.

To most of us the blocks are known by the pioneer’s settlers name, roads are not named, names don’t seem to matter.

Most settlers acquired a cow, a few chooks and a vegie garden. Gradually from that bare block of land ‘home’ seemed to take shape. A cat was a necessity because mice were everywhere immediately the tree stamps were lifted and timber knocked over to make way for pipe lines and fences. Rabbits were in abundance, as were Red Backs.

We did have a butcher, baker and gracer calling – oh for those trolley free days again!

Providing the eather was kind we managed somehow to get to town once a week by old car, truck or motor bike and, sometimes by tractor and trailer with the children on aboard.

Many time a family and / or wife was helped by a friendly settler to be towed out of a bog hole, sometimes through half a mile of water. There was always a feed of scones and gallons of tea for the weary men who were away from their own block area, laying pipes, clearing stumps. fencing, planting the trellising.

Today was you drive through the well-made roads, you see picturesque vineyards, with vines in full production, beautiful fruit trees, orange trees, and lovely gardens, neat homes and healthy happy children playing.

Sure, there are a few of us with bent backs, sore hands and wrinkles and crinkles , but with a twinkle in our eyes, the grey hair peeking from beneath our battered hats, we toll in our vineyards through success and failures.

To remember these last 25 years, a dinner was held at the Robinvale Club on November 7th, 1979. each allocation was represented.

Trapper Smith related many hilarious events.
Keith Barnes recalled eventful days of the BIG machinery.

Jack Forbes, Des Draper and Col Hazel of ‘Bachelors Corner’ and Bob Mitchell asked as to remember, but were concerned about the future of Robinvale.

Harry Douglas acted as M.C. for the evening and Alan Hollis gave as a bracket of early songs.

We of the 9th, 10, 11th and 12th allocations are proud to be part of the jig-saw that has pioneered our lovely Robinvale.

After the Soldier’s Settlement Block

In ???? Bob and Wilma bought a general store and takeaway cafe at ???? after they sold the settler’s block. It was open everyday including Christmas afternoons. This lasted for about a year. It was not an experience that Wilma enjoyed.

Bob served 2 years on Balranald Council from June 1978 until June 1980 as a Liveral Party member in a National Party region. Balrandald is 80km [50 mile] east of Robinvale.

Bob worked as a real estate salesman and bought a delightful property on a bend of the Murray River in Euston where they built a house. Before the weir was built, you could often walk across the river. Euston is on the NSW side of the Murry River 7km [4 miles] from Robinvale.

After Ruth finished her training at Tweddle, she worked there for 6 months before moving to Melbourne. She worked as a mothercraft nurse at Ethel Nilson Day Nursury in Melbourne. Back in those days parents signing a permission form at the beginning of the term allowed staff to bundle the kids up (put the young ones in stollers) to visit the local zoo or other attractions on the tram. If the tram braked suddenly and everyone fell over was a cause of great merriment.

In the 1960s, Tweddle provided temporary care for babies and toddlers awaiting foster care or adoption until the late 1980s. It also provided short term care for babies whose mother was ill or otherwise incapacitated.

Tweddle had a broken glass street sign that was still broken 15 years later when I (Richard) met Ruth. NO – I do not have a photo.

Shortly after I met Ruth in 1984, Bob and Wilma moved from the house in Euston to Melbourne.

A very resourceful Bob was employed as an unlicenced handyman for a motel where he did electrical and plumbing repairs, plastering, gardening and all the other jobs required to keep a motel operating. At the same time, Bob and Wilma restored three houses in Footscray.

For the last several years of his life, Bob sufferece from lung cancer. He died in Bornwyn’s house at Maribrynong at the page of 82.

A long and very eventful life.