大象传媒

MR ROBERT DOUGAL CROMBIE
1920 - 1998

Robert Dougal Crombie was the second son of James Crombie and Agnes Stott Dougal who lived in Eyemouth, Scotland, and married on 23 January 1918. They moved South to England, living in Hartlepool at 15 Malton Street on the Headland, and worked in the local herring industry. Robert was born on 6 September 1920.

He had an older brother George (b 25 November 1918) and a younger brother, James (b 20 September 1922).

The three sons were to suffer a traumatic loss when their mother died suddenly from a stroke on 5 February 1941 at the age of 47 years.

Robert lost his older brother, George (DFM), in 1943. George was 25 years old and serving with the RAF in East Africa.

Robert and all his extended family were born in Malton Street, on the Headland in Hartlepool, North East England. The Crombie family originated from Scotland and belonged to a long line of fishermen and women. There are still members of Robert鈥檚 extended family living in Scotland.

Robert followed in his father鈥檚 footsteps and joined the Royal Navy on 5 December 1939 serving during the Second World War. His father had served with the Royal Navy during the First World War. After his training, Robert joined HMS Maidstone and later went for more training in the asdic school of HMS Osprey. As an anti-submarine detector operator, he joined HMS Fishguard and after several months he went back to asdic school to take an advanced course. After this, Robert served on HMS Nubian until the end of the war.

His records show that he served in the submarine detector service since 1942 and became a leading seaman in 1943. He was recommended for higher submarine detector service in July 1943 and, in 1944, Robert became a Petty Officer Higher Submarine Detector.

After the war, he worked on whaling ships.

On 4 December 1968, he became a member of the Sth African Memorable Order of Tin Hats (MOTH), an ex-Servicemen鈥檚 organisation based on the traditions of the 1914-1918 war. Qualification for membership of the MOTHs being the ex-Servicemen must have seen front-line action in one of the World Wars or the Korean War. He tried to establish a Hartlepool branch of the MOTHs but it didn鈥檛 emerge. ^{About links} Robert was also a member of The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (The Buffs).

He moved to Durban, Sth Africa, in the early 1970s and lived out his life there.
He visited Australia in November 1994 for a reunion with his only family who had left the North East of England for Sydney during the 1970s and 80s.

Robert never married nor had children. His late parents are buried in their home town of Eyemouth in Scotland, and his late brother, George, is buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Nairobi (Forest Rd) Cemetery, Kenya.

Robert passed away peacefully in his sleep on 24 February 1998, at the age of 76 years, in a nursing home in Durban, Sth Africa, whilst recovering from an operation in December 1997. The Durban branch of The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, generously looked after his funeral arrangements.

His younger brother, James, died on 28 August 2000 at the age of 77 years, on the Central Coast of Sydney, Australia. The 4 children of James were Robert鈥檚 only nieces and nephews and he had always been a very kind and generous Uncle to them all. He also met his 3 great-nieces and 3 great-nephews for the first time during his visit to Australia in 1994.

Compiled by Lynn Reed (Niece)
Sydney, Australia
27th January 2006

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