Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Lance Corporal Charles David AUSTIN - 1637

A.P. Corps 2nd Light Horse Brigade Headquarters.

Charles was the son of John Thomas & Elizabeth AUSTIN and was born in 1881 in South Norwood, London, England.

His father was a baker and the family moved to 37 Stanton Street, Peckham, and Charles attended school at Sumner Road School, Peckham, London.

He served in 4th Royal Dragon Guards, 5 years in India and 5 years in South Africa.

Charles immigrated to Australia and was employed as a groom in Warwick Farm, NSW.

He enlisted into the 12th Light Horse Regiment, 6th Reinforcement on the 6th of August 1915 in Warwick Farm, NSW.

He listed his father, John Thomas AUSTIN, of 37 Stanton Street, Peckham, England, as his next of kin.

He embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board the HMAT RMS Moldavia on the 2nd of October 1915.

Charles was admitted to No 1 Australian General Hospital, Heliopolis, on the 23rd of February 1916 suffering from varicose veins and was transferred to No 1 Auxiliary Hospital later that day. He spent 5 days here and was transferred to the Convalescent Depot, Helouan, on the 28th and discharged to his unit on the 14th of March.

Charles was taken on strength with the 2nd Light Horse Training Regiment in Tel-el-Kebir on the 6th of April 1916.

He was then attached to the Military Police on the 27th of July at the Military Police Headquarters in Moascar where he remained until he was transferred to Anzac Provost Corps in Moascar on the 21st of November.

Charles was then transferred to Heliopolis Detachment on the 9th of January 1917.

He was attached for police duty with 2nd Light Horse Brigade Headquarters, Sheil Zowait, on the 15th of February 1917.

On the 26th of March 1917, Charles took part in the Anzac Mounted Division in the failed First Battle of Gaza. They were assigned the role of attacking from the north and east while British infantry attacked from the south. During the crossing of the Wadi Ghazzeh, the 7th Light Horse Regiment formed the advance guard, the light horsemen then skirted around the town towards the coast while a cavalry screen was established prior to the attack. The attacking infantrymen were delayed by fog, while the light horsemen captured some of the high ground to the north.

Charles, with the 2nd Light Horse Brigade and New Zealand Mounted Brigade were committed late in the day. As they advanced, they were held up by thick hedges, which had to be cleared by hand, while the troopers also dealt with defending Ottoman troops. Although the northern and eastern parts of the town were penetrated, concerns about water and approaching Ottoman reinforcements resulted in the attack being called off.  

When the Australians marched into Besor Springs early on the 17th of April 1917, there was little Turkish resistance.

The Turks had deserted the trenches, two of which were cut through the side of the hill, Khirbet Shellal. The Turks had used the pinnacle of the hill as a machinegun post and lookout across the expanse of open country north and south.

Sadly, Charles was one of four Australians to be killed this morning, when a bomb was dropped from a German plane into the camp of the 2nd Light Horse Brigade in Besor Springs.

He was buried by Chaplain Nigel BACKHOUSE of the 7th Light Horse, at Sin Springs, on bank of Wadi Ghazzeh, Shellal, Sinai Peninsula.

His body was later exhumed and he was reburied in the Beersheba War Cemetery (Row Q, Grave 63), Palestine