Robert B. Nicoll entered the military service in Ohio. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a Private First Class in the 625th Ordnance Ammunition Company. On 30 May 1944 between 0025 and 0120 hours, twenty high explosive bombs hit Falmouth Town, Cornwall, England. The Germans were trying to destroy the oil storage facilities there. A 1.25 million gallon fuel tank received a direct hit and the ensuing fire burned for over 24 hours. Two adjacent hotels, which housed US servicemembers, were damaged and numerous Americans were killed. He was one of the casualties and is memorialized on Tablets of the Missing, Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, United Kingdom.