Sergeant (Sudan); Private (South Africa) Robert Small
Service Number: 439, 88Description
Robert (Bob) Small was a blacksmith apprentice living in Wingham, NSW, at the time he enlisted with the NSW contingent in the Sudan war. He enlisted on 18 February 1885, aged 25 years. He was allocated service number 88, with the 4th Company of Infantry. During his training at Victoria Barracks he was promoted to the rank of Corporal. He embarked from Circular Quay, Sydney, on 3 March 1885 with an infantry battalion of 522 men and 24 officers, and an artillery battery of 212 men. This contingent arrived at Sudan’s Red Sea port of Suakin on 29 March 1885. Shortly after arriving they marched as part of a large square formation for Tamai, a village about 30 kilometres inland. Over a couple of days, the march was marked only by small battles, and the Australians, at the rear of the square, experienced little action, with guard duty their predominant engagement. After Tamai, the greater part of the NSW contingent worked on the railway line between Suakin and Khartoum. Not having participated in any battles, Australian deaths were few, with casualties resulting from disease rather than combat. By May 1885 the British government closed the Sudan campaign, leaving only a garrison in Suakin. The Australian contingent sailed for Sydney on 17 May 1885, arriving on 19 June.
Fourteen years later, at age 39, Bob Small enlisted in the Boer War. He served in South Africa with the 2nd NSW Mounted Rifles under the service number 439. He embarked from Sydney, on 17 January 1900, and returned on 29 April 1901. His contingent saw action at Pretoria, diamond Hill, Heidelberg, Wittebergen, Palmietfontein, Vredfort, Alexanderfonteim, Schoeman’s Drift, Reneburg Drift, Bothaville, and Machadodorp. Additionally, they were involved in operations in Cape Colony between 20 December 1900 and 30 March 1901. A letter of reference dated 26 March 1901, from Small’s commanding officer Captain A.J. Bennett, reads ‘… As a soldier he is keen for duty, respectful, painstaking and most reliable. I have never had to find a single fault with him and to be able to say this of a man who has never been separated from me for a single day is the highest possible tribute to his worth as a soldier…’.
After serving in South Africa, Bob Small retired from the military to become Station Master at Gordon Station, on the north shore line in Sydney. A letter to the Editor, Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Observer, written by P.J. Kirby, published Friday 15 November 1929, gives a vale to Small after his death: ‘… Bob Small was at Gordon until he retired, and by his kind and pleasing manner he won the respect of all the pubic – as well as the good will of the men who worked under him …’
Details
Ranks held
Conflicts
Units
Service
Rolls
| Roll Type | Unit | Rank | Conflict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre First World War Conflicts Nominal Rolls | 1st New South Wales Mounted Rifles | Private | South Africa, 1899-1902 (Boer War) |
| Pre First World War Conflicts Nominal Rolls | New South Wales Contingent - Sudan | Lance Sergeant | Sudan, 1885 |
Timeline
- 1860
- Date of birth
- 03/03/1885
- Date of embarkation
- 23/06/1885
- Date of return
- 1929
- Date of death