Oswald Chorlton

Oswald Chorlton

Personal Information
Date of Birth	c1891
Place of Birth	Heaton-Mersey, Manchester, England
Death	17 Oct 1918
Place of Death	Abbeville, France
Age at Enlistment	24 years, 2 months
Description	5'3¾" (1.63m) tall ; 139lbs 63.049 kg ; fair complexion ; grey eyes ; fair hair
Occupation	Motorist
Religion	Church of England
Address	c/- Mrs Seddon, Gosnells, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Father , Mr Chrlton
Military Information
Reg Number	250
Date of Enlistment	6 Mar 1915
Rank	Sergeant
Unit/Formation	28th Battalion, B Company
Date of Embarkation	9 Jun 1915 ‒ 2 Jul 1915
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A11 Ascanius
Fate	Killed accidentally 17 Oct 1918
Monument	Gosnells War Memorial Gosnells Road Board Honour Roll Gosnells Ward Honour Roll Australian War Memorial
Medals	1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal

War Service

Oswald entered Blackboy Hill camp on 6 Mar 1915 and was initially allocated to D Company of the 24th Battalion. At some point later, this was changed to B Company of the 28th Battalion when it became apparent that the 24th could be filled without taking on Western Australians. On arrival in Egypt the 28th undertook further training before being despatched to the Gallipoli Peninsular through Alexandria where they boarded HMT Ivernia on 4 Sep 1915. On 10 Sep 1915 he transferred to the HMT Sarnia for the journey from Mudros harbour to Anzac Cove.

Promoted Temporary Corporal on 24 Nov 1915 on Gallipoli, the rank was confirmed on 18 Feb 1916 after their return to Egypt. The voyage back to Alexandria harbor from Lemnos was aboard HMT Ausonia arriving in Alexandria on 10 Jan 1916, disembarking on 11 Jan 1916.

The 28th Battalion were back in Alexandria on 16 Mar 1916 by rail from Moascar, and they boarded HMAT A32 Themistocles for Marseilles in France, arriving there on 21 Mar 1916 at 3:30pm.

On 22 Apr 1916 Oswald was transferred to the 7th Brigade's Trench Mortar Battery, and on 6 May 1916 in England, Oswald married Elizabeth Gwendoline Evans, a 20 year old spinster from Eccles in Lancaster. Given the short time he spent in England we might assume she was well known to him before he emigrated to Australia.

On 1 Oct 1916 he was attached to the 1st ANZAC School of Instruction, and Oswald was promoted to Sergeant Instructor from 24 Jan - 28 Apr 1917 and placed on the Supplementary NCO List. Relinquishing the rank on 25 Apr 1917.

Taken on strength of the School of Instruction on 15 Jun 1917 as a Corporal Assistant Instructor, on 13 Oct 1971 he was detached as a Sergeant to the GHQ Bombing & Trench Mortar School. On 13 Apr 1918 he was detached as a temporary Sergeant to the Imperial Division in Rouen, France.

On 17 Oct 1918 Oswald Died of Wounds (bomb wounds to neck & fractured right humerus) in the 3rd Australian General Hospital in Abbeville. His wounds resulted from a training accident reviewed by a Court of Enquiry on 17 Oct 1918

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  Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension
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  Oswald's grave location

Notes

For further information on this soldier, or for more information about the history and heritage of the City of Gosnells, please contact the Heritage Coordinator on 9391 6011