Robert Thomas Reginald Foster
Foster was born in January 1888 at Rous, NSW and was a Grocer by occupation.
He was appointed to the Boolaroo Volunteer Fire Brigade on the 15th August 1910 and resigned on the 30th April 1915 for active service.
Foster had enlisted on the 20th April 1915, given the service number 2142 and was appointed to the 6th Reinforcements / 1st Battalion Australian Infantry.
Embarking at Sydney on HMAT A63 “Karoola” on the 16th June 1915, Foster joined the 1st Battalion at Gallipoli on 6th August 1915. Within a few days he was wounded in action on the 9th August 1915, suffering shock. Recovering after a brief spell on the island of Mudros, Foster returned to Gallipoli until the evacuation, disembarking at Alexandria, Egypt on the 28th December 1915.
On the 14th February 1916, while in Egypt, Foster, along with many other Gallipoli veterans from the 1st Battalion was transferred to the 53rd Battalion, on its establishment.
Arriving in France at the end of June 1916, Foster was straight into the fighting. Their first action was the disastrous attack on Fromelles, on the 19th July 1916, with the 53rd Bn being part of the initial assault. Foster was WIA, for a second time on this day in the assault, suffering a gun shot wound to the left forearm.
The winter of 1916 / 1917 was one of the worst on record and after enduring that, Foster and the 53rd were rotated in and out of trenches in the Somme Valley, then, employed in following the retreat of the Germans to the Hindenburg Line.
In March 1917 Foster was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, the recommendation states:
For continuous good work and devotion to duty.
During the very trying period when the Battalion was in the line near Flers he was carrying rations to the front line. He was always the first to volunteer to take the place of sick men, and worked without rest during most of this time.
On December 3rd 1916, during one of these trips, the approaches to the Battalion lines were being heavily shelled. After delivering the rations he came across a wounded man, who was being attended to by stretcher bearers of another Battalion.
He immediately volunteered and helped to carry the wounded man to the aid post, through the fire and across the open. He has always shown a fine example to the men under him. He has had service in Gallipoli, Egypt and France, and has been absent from his unit only for a little while in hospital, on account of wounds received on 19th July 1916 at Fleurbaix.
Foster was WIA for a third time on the 2nd Apr 1917, while in a line held by the 53rd between Louverval and Doignies and died of these wounds on the 11th April 1917, after suffering a gun shot wound to the thighs and right testicle and is buried at the St Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen, France His Brother, 2300 Pte W H R Foster 36th Btn AIF, KIA 10/06/1917 is also commemorated on his headstone. The epitaph on the grave is "One Hope, One Destiny".
2142 SGT Robert Thomas Reginald Foster received the Distinguished Conduct Medal, 1914 / 15 Star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal.