Alec. T. P. Robertson (2/5th Hants)

[ddycher]

Folks

Maybe you can help. I have been trying to track down Lt. Alec. T. P. Robertson (2/5th Hants).

He served in India, Mesopotamia and Palestine. One time Brigade Intelligence Officer with the 232nd Bde. This much I know from Sheffy's Ref in "Chemical Warfare and the Palestine Campaign, 1916-1918" and cross referencing the Liddle Collection catalogues on line at Leeds University.

After that nothing - I cant find a single reference to him. Have been through the Gazette, National Archives, The Royal Hampshire Regiment 1914-1918 and all the other units histories I have from the 232nd Bde and rest of the 75th Division.

Anybody have any ideas ? Have posted in the soldiers sub-forum also.

Regards

Dave

[janecavell]

Hi Dave

The Times of 20 January 1982 has an obituary for Mr Alec Robertson, MBE, ‘influential writer and broadcaster on music’, who died 18 January aged 89.

It gives his full name as Alexander Thomas Parke Robertson and says he was born at Southsea on 3 June 1892, educated at Bradfield and the Royal Academy of Music before serving in the First World War (no details given).

The long obituary refers to his autobiography, which should answer some of your questions, if this is your man. Certainly his initials are right, and he was known as Alec.

Added later: The autobiography was called 'More than Music' and was published by Collins in 1961. (You can see little snippets of this on Google Books, enough to see that he was indeed an Intelligence Officer in the Hampshire Regiment.)

[janecavell]

Eureka!

He is your man: see this biography from 1953 edition of Gramophone magazine