He was the son of Arthur Albert and Winifred Lottie Golding of Stanford-le-Hope.

Robert was an active member of the 1st Stanford-le-Hope Rover Crew before the War.

In a letter to the Bata Record in September 1940, he says that he is making almost nightly flights over Germany from an Airfield in Kent. He had left for active service in September 1939 after 3 years with the Company as a Sundries Stock Keeper.

He died on Wednesday 30th September 1942, aged 21 after being reported missing in the Meditteranean area.