Robert Halbert Wotherspoon

The Royal Marines Light Infantry were part of the Royal Marine Brigade, Royal Naval Division at Gallipoli. The Royal Marine deployment to Gallipoli : FEBRUARY 1915 - 6th February : Plymouth and Chatham Battalions entrain at Shillingstone near Blandford and move to Devonport. They are temporarily known as the "Royal Marine Special Service Force". About 6pm the Plymouth Battalion and the headquarters of the Royal Marine Brigade sail on "Braemar Castle". Chatham Battalion sails on "Cawdor Castle". Both arrive at St Paul's Bay (Malta) on the 14th February 1915. Sailed 8am on the 19th February. Arrive Tenedos 3.15pm on the 21st February, Lemnos 4pm on 24 February, returned to Tenedos next day. Sailed at 1am on the 26th February for Dardanelles, arriving at 8am. Naval bombardment of the Straits forts and emplacements is underway. Ships return to Tenedos but at 5pm ordered to Imbros. Orders to land on Gallipoli on the 28th February cancelled due to bad weather at sea. MARCH 1915 - 5am on the 2nd March ships ordered to Tenedos. Operations once again cancelled due to weather. Moved to Imbros 3rd March. At 8.30am on the 4th March Plymouth Battalion landed one company each at Kum Kale and Sedd-el-Bahr, to cover the demolition of Turkish guns by raiding parties. Sedd-el-Bahr company re-embarks at 2.30pm, Kum Kale at 7.15pm. Operations successful, at a cost of 22 dead and 22 wounded. On the 5th March ships return to Tenedos. On the 6th March: ships ordered at 2.30pm to Lemnos, arrived 8.30pm. On the 11th March: Portsmouth Battalion arrived at Lemnos from England on "Gloucester Castle" and "Deal" Battalion arrived on "Alnwick Castle". On the 12th March: Royal Marine Brigade reorganised and "Royal Marine Special Service Force" ceases to exist. Brigade comes under orders of Royal Naval Division. "Deal" Battalion is placed under orders of 1st Royal Naval Brigade. A contingent of Chatham Battalion (4 officers and 200 men) together with 2 officers and 20 men from Australian forces boarded "Cawdor Castle" in preparation for a landing. Ship sailed to Tenedos at daylight on the 18th March but this force was not used and returned to units on the 23rd March. On the 18th March at 6.30pm: Royal Marine Brigade sails for a "demonstration" off Gaba Tepe, which was carried out at 5.30am next day. At 1.30pm ships returned to Lemnos. On the 24th March: Royal Marine Brigade (now including "Deal" Battalion) sails for Alexandria in Egypt. Orders are modified en route and force sails instead to Port Said, arrives 26th February-7th March. Machine gun detachments of "Deal" Battalion move to Suez Canal defences at Kantara. APRIL 1915 - On the 7th April: Brigade re-embarked at Alexandria. On the 11th-12th April arrived at Lemnos. On the 16th April: moved to Trebuki Bay, Skyros, where Division was concentrating. On the 23th April: Brigade sails for Gulf of Xeros. On the 25th April: Division carries out feint landing at Bulair, while British 29th Division lands at Cape Helles beaches and Australian and New Zealand forces at beach near Gaba Tepe / Ari Burnu soon named Anzac cove. Plymouth Battalion makes a landing at "Y" Beach in support of 29th Division. On the 27th April: ships carrying Brigade arrived off Cape Helles at daylight. On the 28th April 5pm: "Gloucester Castle" and "Cawdor Castle" ordered to move and anchor off Gaba Tepe. Chatham and Portsmouth Battalions ordered to disembark and come under orders of 1st Australian Division on arrival. On completion of disembarkation at 8pm, Brigade ordered to take over No. 2 Section of defences held by Australian and New Zealand forces. This was the western edge of Lone Pine plateau. On the 29th April: "Deal" and "Nelson" Battalions together with Brigade Headquarters land at Anzac in the evening and move up through Shrapnel Gully to the forward defences. Robert was Invalided / Discharged on the 14/04/1915 with organic heart disease and died of valvular disease of the heart on the 24/06/1920. Robert is NOT commemorated on the CWGC site. His case for inclusion was rejected in 2006. See photos for Robert's Naval Medal and Award Rolls, his Royal Marine Register of Service, Robert's War Badges issued, his War Badges application x 2, Robert's Pension Record x 3 and the Royal Marine Light Infantry Cap Badge.