Charles William Price
From Our Contribution
 Australia's Fighting Sons of the Empire p.141 | |
 photo courtesy Helen CLark | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 24 Aug 1884 |
| Place of Birth | Lambeth, Middlesex, England |
| Death | 29 Jul 1916 |
| Place of Death | Poziéres, France |
| Age at Enlistment | 30 years, 11 months |
| Description |
5'4¼" (1.63m) tall ; 143 lbs 64.864 kg ; fair complexion ; brown eyes ; dark hair |
| Occupation | Quarryman |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | Armadale, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Mother , Mrs Amelia Price |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 2200 |
| Date of Enlistment | 21 Jul 1915 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit/Formation | 28th Battalion, 4th Reinforcement |
| Date of Embarkation | 4 Oct 1915 ‒ 27 Oct 1915 |
| Ship Embarked On | HMAT A20 Hororata |
| Fate | Killed in Action 29 Jul 1916 at Poziéres, France |
| Monument |
Armadale War Memorial (West Armadale panel) Villers-Bretonneux Memorial Armadale and Districts Roll of Honour WA State War Memorial Australian War Memorial |
| Medals |
1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal |
Pre War
War Service
Charles joined the 28th Battalionat Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt on 19 Jan 1916. After a short stint on the Suez Canal near Ferry Post, they travelled to Alexandria to board HMAT A32 Themistocles, entering France through Marseilles on 21 Mar 1916.
Initially reported Missing on 29 Jul 1916, but on 5 Oct 1916 he was confirmed as KIA by Rev W.E. Dexter who buried him. The 28th Battalion had attacked the German front line north of Poziéres soon after midnight of 28/29 July 1916 and came under heavy machine gun fire when they found the wire unbroken, along with intense enemy artillery fire. Casualties were high, and the surviving attackers returned to their trenches soon after 2am. 63 KIA, 151 WIA, 257 MIA. More than 50% of the Battalion were casualties.
..."Killed in action at the Battle of Pozieres on 28th July, 1916". In his last letter he wrote....... "We have had some long marches and a 124 hours train journey. So we are now in another part of France. We went through some old fashioned villages and the folk living there seemed very religious. You always see the crucifix hanging on the wall and the holy pictures. I think they are mixed Belgians and French, and it's not very long before a mob of troops eat them out of bread, if they have any to sell, as our rations are not enough sometimes. There are plenty of biscuits, but the boys don't take kindly to them......I don't think we will be here very long, as there is almost bound to be something doing shortly. I should like to see every able bodied young fellow in it, as the Huns have the positions and have to be driven out. I should like to see their country treated as they have treated Belgium and France...."[1]
The Red cross file held by the Australian War Memorial only notes that he was declared missing and then declared to have been KIA.[2].
Post War
Notes
Mary Werndly, sister of Charles, had two brothers that died while in France: Charles and Edward.
- ↑ "The Drill of the Foot-Hills" (PDF) (1917). Western Australia. Mar 1917. p. 10. Retrieved 16 May 2017 – via State Library of Western Australia.
- ↑ "Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files - Charles William Price". Australian War Memorial. 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.