Hector Aldridge Robinson was born at Richmond, Victoria, in 1880, one of five children born to Henry Joseph Robinson and Mary Scott Mackenzie. Before he enlisted, Robinson had worked as a commercial traveller.
Robinson enlisted in the AIF in February 1915 and was initially allotted to C Company, 22nd Infantry Battalion. He left Australia on 10 May and after arriving in Egypt several weeks later, was sent to Gallipoli with the 22nd Battalion at the beginning of September 1915. At the conclusion of this campaign in December, Robinson and the 22nd found themselves back in Egypt at the beginning of 1916.
In March he transferred into the newly-formed 6th Machine Gun Company and with his new unit proceeded to France at the end of that month. Robinson, now a corporal, won the Military Medal at the Battle of Pozières in late July 1916 for bravely keeping his gun in action in an exposed position. During this action he was seriously wounded in the face and was invalided to England to recuperate.
Returning to his unit in March 1917, Robinson was promoted to sergeant, then to second lieutenant the following month and finally to lieutenant on 25 August 1917. The 6th Machine Gun Company was absorbed into the 2nd Machine Gun Battalion in March 1918 and this became Robinson's new unit. However, due to debility caused by his previous wounds (blindness in one eye), Robinson was invalided home, returning to Australia on New Year's Day 1919.
In 1920, Hector married his wartime sweetheart, Mabel Catherine Douglas Broom.
Hector Robinson died in 1945 at Healesville, Victoria aged 65.