Robert Elphinstone

This search was quite confusing as Robert enlisted on three separate occasions for service during WWII. Twice he enlisted in the Army and once in the Merchant Marine. Each enlistment has a bit of information different to the last which took a little time to unravel. Robert gave different birth dates on two occasions and these didn't marry up with other records.
After the war all reference to Robert disappeared except for a 1957 court listing which didn't help much. The only other firm piece of information I had was his mother's first name. It was the mention of this name in another new paper article relating to a court case in 1936 which provided me with her husband's name. However, through these links I was able to contact a relative of Robert's who I will soon post the medal to.
It was very difficult to get a good photo of the naming on Robert's Australian Service Medal. It appears to be laser engraved rather than impressed, similar to the medals issued today. The medal came to me from the NSW RSL and they have had it since 1999. Laser engraving was only introduced shortly prior to this so I'm a little confused as to when this medal would have been issued to Robert.
The returned medal tally is now 1225.