Fermanagh war hero passes away just short of 100th birthday

Captain Robert ‘Bobby’ Robinson DCM, who learned vital fieldcraft and shooting skills as a boy in Co Fermanagh, answered the call as a 17-year-old in August 1940 and was recruited into the Royal Irish Fusiliers.

From humble beginnings on a small family farm at Tully near Derrygonnelly, the young private would rise through the ranks to become a commissioned officer, fight on three major World War Two fronts, suffer several battle wounds, and receive the Distinguished Conduct Medal – second only to the Victoria Cross – for “most gallant conduct” in the face of the enemy.

He was born in March 1923 and died on Wednesday (November 2) aged 99.

Although originally recruited for the defence of Northern Ireland in the event of a German invasion, Bobby was keen to see action and volunteered for overseas service.

He was promoted to corporal during intensive training in Scotland and eventually landed in Tunisia in December 1942.

By August 1943 Bobby was promoted to sergeant and his unit was fighting its way through Sicily before landing on the Italian mainland – advancing north to the infamous Monte Cassino on the road to Rome.

In late 1944 near Bologna, aged just 21, Sgt Robinson volunteered to lead a patrol of just ten soldiers to clear a farm of enemy troops under the cover of darkness. As soon as the first shots were fired it became clear that an entire company of German troops was occupying the farm site and the resulting hour-long gun and grenade battle was ferocious.

Despite suffering shrapnel wounds, the young sergeant remained in full control of the patrol and eventually led a tactical withdrawal, placing himself in harm’s way to ensure the wounded were stretchered to safety.

His bravery and leadership was recognised with a DCM and a promotion to company sergeant major.

When the war ended, Bobby remained in the army and was posted to Austria where he remained until May 1947.

He was eventually invited to Buckingham Palace in July 1949 to be presented with his DCM by King George VI. The medal citation states: “His conduct throughout was most gallant and a source of praise amongst his men. His admirable leadership in this action is only equalled by similar conduct in the past.”

"He was subsequently evacuated to hospital but his example and courage remain an inspiration to his men.”

It was not until 1966, having reached the rank of Captain, that he accepted a civilian job from his former commanding officer and left his army house on Armagh City’s Victoria Street to begin a new life with his wife and children in the Birmingham area.

Bob’s daughter Carolyn said that, despite her dad’s life of action and adventure, he was very much a family man and a loving father.

"He had no intention of leaving the army at that point… but my brother and I were just reaching secondary school age, and dad was due for some overseas postings. He knew that meant we would end up in boarding school. He was very much a family man so this offer was very tempting and it gave us a very stable life in Solihull in the West Midlands,” she said.

Bob’s nephew Roy Robinson, a recently retired police chief inspector from Fermanagh, was very close to Uncle Bob and very proud of his achievements.

"He was my hero, we loved him very much,” Roy said.

“He was wounded three times and got back into battle. He fought at Alamein, with Field Marshall Montgomery, then into Sicily and Monte Cassino. In one raid 70 of them went out and he was only one of 21 who survived.”

In later life, Bob wrote a fairly comprehensive record of his war years, including a “one in a million” encounter while capturing German soldiers in North Africa.

He wrote: “During the round up, disarming and searching the prisoners I was puzzled to see a Fusilier Harry Fisher behaving in a friendly way with one of the prisoners; under my startled gaze they were actually exchanging photographs.

"Fusilier Fisher was a Belfast man and pre-war had been a very good amateur boxer and had reached the finals of the ‘Golden Gloves’ championships in the USA.

"On this desolate hill in Tunisia, Fus. Fisher had met by chance, in combat, one of his old boxing opponents who had fought for the ‘Fatherland’ in the same competition. The chances of that meeting must have been one in a million.”