ANDERSON, Charles James
| Service Number: | 2551 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 13 May 1915, Liverpool, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 1st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Aberdeen, Scotland, 1891 |
| Home Town: | Lidcombe, Auburn, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Pozieres, France, 22 July 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Gordon Dump Cemetery, Ovillers-la Boisselle Plot I, Row B, Grave No. 43. Rev. R.A Harriss officiated |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 13 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2551, Liverpool, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Aug 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2551, 1st Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Aug 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2551, 1st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Runic, Sydney | |
| 22 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 2551, 1st Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2551 awm_unit: 1 Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1916-07-22 |
Early Years
Charles was born in Aberdeen, Scotland where his father James owned a furniture store. When his father's business partner decided to retire, James responded to an advertisement placed by the NSW Government in a local Aberdeen paper. Cabinet makers were needed to build railway coaches in Sydney. The family decided to emigrate. The men were to leave first, find houses and then send for the females. James left with his sons Charles James (22yrs) and Thomas Alexander (23yrs). His daughter Helen's fiancé Robert Thomson and another cousin, John Thomson Arnot came too. They acquired houses in Woodburn Street, Lidcombe near the rail yards. The woman arrived in 1913.
Soon after WW1 was declared, Charles answered the call to enlist. He had served for two years in Aberdeen with the Garrison Army. He enlisted in June 1915 along with his cousin John Thomson Arnot. He sailed from Australia in August, 1915 aboard HMAT Runic. At one stage he contracted dysentery and was hospitalised for 52 days at Heliopolis in Egypt. He was later to be hospitalised in February, 1916 with an eye condition. He was promoted to lance corporal on 16th July, 1916. Less than a week later, while serving with the 1st Battalion on the Somme at Picardie, he was killed in action some time between 22nd and 24th July, 1916. Charles is buried in the Gordon Dump Cemetery, Ovillers - La Boisselle, France. His cousin John Thomson was also to die in March, 1918.
Submitted 4 April 2023 by Andy Thomson
Biography
1 Battalion
Rank - Lance Corporal
6 January 1916 - Taken on strength Tel el Kebir
20 February 1916 - To hospital, otitis and appearnedia
25 February 1916 - Discharged to unit
29 February 1916 - Rejoined unit
22 March 1916 - Embarked at Alexandria for B.E.F
28 March 1916 - Disembarked Marseilles
18 July 1916 - Promoted to Lance Corporal
Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Son of James & Margaret Anderson of 18 Woodburn Road, Lidcombe, NSW. Native of Aberdeen, Scotland.
"2551 Private (later Lance Corporal) Charles James Anderson, 1st Battalion of Lidcombe, NSW. A clerk prior to enlisting, he embarked from Sydney aboard HMAT Runic (A54) on 9 August 1915. He was killed in action, on 22 July 1916, at Pozieres, France, aged 25. He is buried in Gordon Dump Cemetery, Ovillers-La Boiselle, France." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
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