Alfred William Robin

Sir Alfred William Robin
Major General Sir Alfred William Robin
Born	(1860-08-12)12 August 1860 Riddells Creek, Australia
Died	2 June 1935(1935-06-02) (aged 74) Wellington, New Zealand
Allegiance	New Zealand
Service/branch	New Zealand Military Forces
Years of service	1898–1921
Rank	Major General
Commands held	New Zealand Military Forces
Battles/wars	Second Boer War First World War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Companion of the Order of the Bath Mentioned in Despatches Légion d'honneur (France)

Major General Sir Alfred William Robin KCMG, CB (12 August 1860 – 2 June 1935) was a New Zealand military leader.

Born in Australia, Robin's family moved to New Zealand in 1861. A coachbuilder by trade, he was active in the local militia, before becoming a professional soldier in 1899. Commander of the First New Zealand contingent that fought in South Africa during the Second Boer War, Robin later served as General Officer Commanding New Zealand Military Forces from 1914 to 1919. For his service during the First World War he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, and was one of only 14 members of the New Zealand Military Forces to receive the French Legion of Honour decoration during the war.

Alfred William Robin was born on 12 August 1860 in Riddells Creek, Victoria, in Australia, to a baker and his wife. His family immigrated to New Zealand sometime in 1861 and settled in Dunedin, in the South Island, where his father set up a coach building business. In 1873, after completing a year of high school, Robin started working for his father and eventually became a partner in the business.

Robin had a keen interest in the military; while at school he participated in the cadet program and in 1878 joined the New Zealand Regiment of Volunteer Artillery. He later served with the Southland Hussars and the Dunedin Cavalry Volunteers, and rose to the rank of sergeant major. In 1886, the Dunedin Cavalry Volunteers became the Otago Hussars and three years later he was commissioned as a lieutenant. He was promoted to captain in 1891 and took over command of his unit. He was a highly regarded officer and his unit was one of the most efficient in the Volunteer Corps. In 1897, he was selected to lead the New Zealand contingent to Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. His last command in the Volunteer Corps was as a commander of a newly formed mounted rifle battalion.