Robert Donaldson grew up in the English market town of Wolsingham, where he worked as a gardener, and in his mid-20s moved to Perth. He played regularly with Queens Park’s foundation team of 1914 and served as a delegate to the Junior British Football Association of WA.
When the football season ended he enlisted in the 16th Battalion. Donaldson was 30 years of age when he landed at Gallipoli in the late afternoon of 25 April, 1915. Little over a week later his body was found on the battlefield, most likely one of 338 men to have perished in the two-day attack on Bloody Angle. Donaldson was buried by Chaplain Rev. C.W.G.Moore and is commemorated at the Lone Pine Memorial. “Our roll of honour is being augmented.
The last to give their lives in defending the Empire are Sergeant Frank Matthews and Private R.H. Donaldson,” reported The Western Mail of 9 July, 1915. “Private Donaldson belonged to the Queen Park Club of which he was one of the pioneer members. He was also a committee man of the J.B.F.A. At the last meeting of both associations sympathetic references were made at the loss sustained in their death and it was decided that letters of condolence be sent to the relatives of the deceased.”
A memo on Donaldson’s service file dated 10 March, 1921, notes “extensive enquiries have been made and the services of the press have been utilized to endeavour to locate there whereabouts of the Next of Kin of the above named late soldier, but without result.”