The Cereal - Oatlands School Magazine - May 1924 - Page 132

Photo - Private Robert Bickersteth, born august 18th, 1884;killed in action August 12th 1918; was the second son of the late Henry Cecil Bickersteth, of Bondgate Green, Ripon, and grandson of Robert Bickersteth, Bishop of Ripon.

He entered the school in November, 1892, and afterwards passed into Winchester, Mr Bramston's House, in 1898, where he won the Steeplechase in 1902. after leaving school he went, in 1905, to Australia to farm. Immediately on the outbreak of hostilities he joined the 42nd Battalion of the Australian Infantry, and served first in Egypt and afterwards in France, being wounded once in the Battle of the Somme and again early in 1918. he returned to France in August, and fell in action at Proyart on the 12th of that month, in the opening stages of the final advance.

As he served in the ranks no particulars of his death were issued, except that his whole company was wiped out taking a German trench, and his grave was never found. He was proud of being an ANZAC, and would not transfer into an English Regiment for the sake of a Commission. He was over six feet in height, and made a fine-looking Australian private.