Robert was born in Walsall, Staffordshire in 1918 to Horace and Agnes Burr-Higgs. Following the death or separation from his father, Robert's mother, Agnes, remarried in 1922 to Harold A. Austin. During his schooling at Wrekin, Robert was known to both staff and pupils as Robert A. Austin, and accordingly, his name is recorded on the memorial as such.

Name Change

It was not until 28^th August 1939 that Robert formally sought a change of name. On this date, he petitioned the High Court in London whereby he ”renounced and abandoned the use of the said surname of Burr-Higgs and assumed in lieu thereof the surname of HARRISON-AUSTIN”.

Military Career and Wartime Service

Robert's military career began in 1937 shortly after he left school, when he was granted a commission in the Honourable Artillery Company on the 15^th June 1940. With the outbreak of war, he transferred to the Royal Artillery and was stationed in Gibraltar for three and a half years, serving as a Temporary Major. During this period, he had the opportunity to meet several distinguished Allied leaders who passed through Gibraltar on their travels, including Prime Minister Winston Churchill, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and General Władysław Sikorski, who was both the Prime Minister of the Polish government-in-exile and Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces. Notably, General Sikorski later lost his life in July 1943 when the aircraft he was travelling in crashed into the sea after take-off from Gibraltar, with all on board perishing except the pilot.

While serving in Gibraltar, Robert's responsibilities occasionally included acting as the King’s Messenger to Morocco. In the summer of 1943, he returned to England and took up a post as a gunnery instructor in Cromer, Norfolk.

Service in Italy and Final Command

In May 1944, the 1^st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery landed in Italy from Palestine at Taranto. Robert joined the regiment in August 1944. At the time of his death, he was commanding the renowned A Battery (The Chestnut Troop) Royal Horse Artillery, which is recognised as the senior Battery within the Royal Artillery.

Younger son of Horace Burr-Higgs, Walsall, Staffordshire and Agnes Beatrice Austin [neé Harrison] of Cofton Hackett, Worcestershire.

A copy of Robert's story may be downloaded here.

Revised: November 2025