Australian G1 of British 50th Div & 51st Highland Div
Bill Robertson was an officer in my fathers battalion (Australian 6th Div) and eventually was G1 (Chief of Staff) in the 51st Highland & 50th Division and finished with that division in December 1944 when they returned to Britain.
The Australians at War Film Archive - Home
8th Battalion Australia
6th Division Australia
HQ 7 Division Australia
51/50 Division British Army
Bill landed in North Africa at El Kantara on the Suez Canal and went through Bardia, Tobruk then off to Greece and Crete where he won the Military Cross.
Then he went as G1 of the Australian 7th Division in New Guinea where he was MID and was instrimental in having an incompetent American General sent back to the states for incompetence. He returned to Britain to be G1 with the 51st Highland Division being privy to all the D-Day planning then landed at Aromanches with HQ. He then became G1 with the 50th division to General Douglas Graham and had great respect for the Corps commander General Brian Horrocks.
Meeting with Bernard Montgomery he saw Bill's Africa Star and not seeing a "9", (which represented the Australian 9th Division), said you weren't at El Alamein then? At all future meetings he was addressed by Montgomery as the Australian who wasn't at El Alamein!
Bill went right through from D-Day to Holland when his division (the 50th) returned to Britain.
He was also awarded an OBE which was his second award presented by King George V1.
Quite a long interview but there now for all time.