It is with a heavy heart, and sad at the realization of our loss, that we undertake to write the record of Robby’s life for Lorene his widow, for his classmates of 1912, and for all his friends.
Walter Melville Robertson was born June 15, 1888 in Nelson County, Virginia, was appointed to West Point as a candidate at large from Oklahoma, and entered the Academy on March 2, 1908. He was a fine appearing, bright, serious-minded, and industrious cadet with high ambition to do the job at hand to the best of his high ability. How well he used his splendid talents is attested by his outstanding cadet record; track team, four years on the basketball squad, individual tennis champion, and holder of all the “makes” from corporal to cadet captain.
In September 1912, he reported for duty as second lieutenant of infantry, to Company M. First Infantry, at Schofield Barracks, where his company commander, Captain Harry E. Knight, took the greatest interest in his young “shavetail”, and this early training showed its fruit in Hobby’s later career as an infantry officer par excellence. Hinemon, his roommate at West Point, Anderson, R. E., Gonser, Maxwell, Riley, Rose, Schneider, Smith, J. N., and Snow all served with Robby at Schofield, and remember his serious attention to duty, and his gaiety, and his popularity at parties.
In 1915, Robby was transferred to the Twenty-fourth Infantry at the Presidio of San Francisco, and here he met Lorene Powell Crebs of Carmi, Illinois, who was visiting on the post, and they fell in love.
Soon Robby was transferred to Fort Missoula, Montana, where he was the only officer at this mothballed post, and here he and Lorene were married August 10, 1916. In this biography, I am touching first on the important facts in Robby’s career, and in his own opinion and in the opinion of all who knew her, nothing in his life was more felicitous than his marriage to Lorene, for in her he found the ideal mate, devoted, beautiful, charming, and taking with humor and fortitude the ups and downs of an Army career. Lorene married a soldier, and so, in truth, did Robby.
The light of glory that shines on Robby in the award of the Distinguished Service Cross for his achievements in December 1944 illuminates his long wartime service with the Second Infantry Division, with which unit he commanded two of the three regiments, the Ninth and the Twenty-third, was assistant division commander, and commanded the division itself for three years. Under our Robby’s leadership, the immortal Indian Head Division stormed its part of Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 7, 1944; fought viciously down to Brest, where the garrison surrendered in Robby’s presence; broke the Siegfried Line in December 1944; held firm on the left shoulder of the shattered Allied line in the Battle of the Bulge: crossed the Rhine at Remagen; and captured Pilsen and received the surrender of the enemy forces about Prague. This ended for the Second Division and its great fighting general, eleven months of victorious combat in the five major campaigns of Normandy, Central France, Rhineland, Ardennes, and Central Europe.
In 1945 and 1946, Robby commanded the XV Corps in Austria, and in Bulgaria most able discharged his duties as the United States Delegate to the Allied Control Mission.
His last active duty assignment was that of Deputy Commanding General of the Sixth Army, where he and Lorene lived most delightfully and entertained lavishly and beautifully at Quarters 341, Infantry Terrace.
Robby retired from active duty in June 1950, and was given a magnificent retirement review and reception by the Second Division at Fort Lewis, Washington, as a testimonial of the high regard and affection in which he was held by the civil and military components of the Sixth Army area.
This same year, Robby, in vigorous health and wanting to continue to serve his country, became Civil Defense Director for California, and with tact and devotion and success, worked at this somewhat thankless task until his death.
In October 1954, Robby came down from Sacramento to the Letterman Army Hospital for a minor operation, and it was discovered that he had a serious abdominal condition, for which he submitted to an operation on Tuesday, November 9; complications followed and Robby died on November 22. On November 24, funeral services were held at the Chapel of the Presidio of San Francisco, with the edifice full to overflowing; 1912 was represented by Barrett, Chynoweth, Faymonville, Lindt, Mallon and Morrissey. Robby was buried at Arlington on December 1, 1954, and his honorary pallbearers were Chamberlain, Crawford, R. C., Haislip, Littlejohn, Mooney, Snow, Spalding, S. P., and Thomas.
Between these high-lights of Robby’s career, his life was a steady chronicle of work well and faithfully done, to his own credit and to the honor of the Service.
Robby’s record speaks for itself, but to show the international recognition given him, here is a list of his decorations:
UNITED STATES
Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, and Bronze Star Medal.
GREAT BRITAIN
Companion of the Bath.
FRANCE
Officier de la Legion d’Honneur, Croix de Guerre avec Palme.
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
Cross of Gallantry, Order of the White Lion, 3rd Class.
RUSSIA
Eminent Order of Suvarov.
BELGIUM
Commandeur, Ordre de la Couronne avec Palme, Croix de Guerre avec Palme.
Farewell, Robby, beloved friend and classmate! Surely these words of the Alma Mater Song we sang together by Old Hudson’s shore, so many times, so long ago, apply to you;
“And when our work is done.
Our course on earth is run.
May it be said ‘Well done.
Be thou at peace’.”
—d’Alary Fechet