RICHARDSON, Charles John
| Service Numbers: | 2518, 7392 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 May 1915, Southern Cross, Western Australia |
| Last Rank: | Driver |
| Last Unit: | Australian Corps Headquarters Signal Company |
| Born: | Hamilton, Victoria, 1880 |
| Home Town: | Claremont, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Electric linesman |
| Died: | Natural causes, Heidelberg, Victoria, 11 May 1954 |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 10 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2518, Southern Cross, Western Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Jun 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2518, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Chilka, Fremantle | |
| 18 Jun 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2518, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Chilka embarkation_ship_number: A51 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Aug 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2518, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 7 Aug 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2518, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), The August Offensive - Lone Pine, Suvla Bay, Sari Bair, The Nek and Hill 60 - Gallipoli, GSW (left arm) | |
| 26 Jul 1916: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 2518, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
| 2 Jun 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 7392, Blackboy Hill, Western Australia | |
| 4 Aug 1917: | Embarked AIF WW1, Sapper, 7392, Tunnelling Companies, HMAT Themistocles, Melbourne | |
| 4 Aug 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sapper, 7392, Tunnelling Companies, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '6' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Themistocles embarkation_ship_number: A32 public_note: '' | |
| 26 Mar 1918: | Promoted AIF WW1, Driver, Australian Corps Headquarters Signal Company | |
| 9 Sep 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Driver, 7392, Australian Corps Headquarters Signal Company |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Edwards
"WWI Return from Service badge to be given to Anzac veteran's family after search By Andree Withey
A service badge belonging to a Gallipoli veteran that was unearthed by a metal detector in Perth a year ago is to be handed over to the soldier's family. The Return to Service Badge, dated 1917, belonged to Charles John Richardson. It was found last year by Matt Franceschini, who hunts for coins and relics around Western Australia. Charles Richardson was a Sapper in World War I and performed a variety of roles, including with the Signals unit during his second deployment to the war in Europe. War Memorial records show Sapper Richardson survived the war and died in May 1954.
Mr Franceschini was hoping to return Sapper Richardson's badge to his descendants. After a story aired on ABC's AM program on Friday, genealogy enthusiasts contacted the Sapper's great grandson, Kim Richardson, on the Gold Coast. Since discovering the family ties to the badge there has been a flurry of phone calls between relatives and the man who found it.
"It has been a whirlwind of excitement as the badge belongs to my great grandfather Charles John Richardson," Mr Richardson said.
"We are all very excited about it and want to thank Matt Franceschini for his determination in tracking down the descendants."
Plans are now underway to have the badge taken to Charles Richardson's grandson, Gary Richardson, who lives in Albany, south of Perth.
"Charles went to Gallipoli in the first wave, enlisting in the 16th battalion and was one of four brothers who fought there," Mr Richardson.
"He lost his elder brother Albert at Gallipoli, and Charles was wounded and sent to Malta and then London to recover before coming home.
"When he re-enlisted he was sent to the Western Front in France where he was a tunneller."
Sapper Richardson was born in Hamilton in Victoria but enlisted in WA. Dianne Rutherford from the Australian War Memorial said Sapper Richardson received the badge in 1917 after returning in 1916, but he did not stay at home for long.
"A few months later, about mid-1917, he decided to re-enlist. He's obviously recovered from his wounds and his illness," Ms Rutherford said.
Ms Rutherford said the badge, which is referred to as a "Return from Service Discharge" badge, was issued so former soldiers could wear it on their civilian clothes.
"If people didn't know that they'd already fought and had been discharged, sometimes they could receive abuse in the streets and that kind of thing," she said.
"So the Government produced a number of badges that returned serviceman could wear to show that they actually had served and contributed to the war effort." - SOURCE (www.abc.net.au)
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