AHRENS, Charles
| Service Number: | 49 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 September 1914, An original of B Company |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Corryong, Victoria, Australia, 4 November 1888 |
| Home Town: | Dwellingup, Murray, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Sleeper hewer |
| Died: | 1957, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Corryong State School No 1309 Honor Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 14 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 49, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), An original of B Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Involvement Private, 49, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked Private, 49, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Ceramic, Melbourne | |
| 12 Jan 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
| 13 May 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
| 17 May 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
| 12 Mar 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
| 27 Apr 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Captain, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
Help us honour Charles Ahrens's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Charles Ahrens was born as ‘Charles Ahearn’ at Corryong, Victoria, in November 1888. He was educated in Victoria, but later moved to Western Australia, where he was employed as a sleeper hewer in the Manjimup area before enlisting in the AIF in September 1914. His enlistment papers initially give the surname ‘Andrews’, which has been corrected to ‘Ahearn’, but are signed ‘Charles Ahrens’. The reasons for this are unclear. With the regimental number 49, Ahearn became an original member of B Company, 16 Battalion, and sailed with the unit from Fremantle aboard HMAT A40 ‘Ceramic’ in December 1914. He was present at the Gallipoli landings, and in mid May 1915 was promoted to Sergeant. Only four days later, following the death of Lieutenant Kretchmar at Quinn’s Post, he was commissioned in the field. On 10 August, while entrenching positions at No 1 Outpost in the northern Anzac area, he was wounded in the left arm and evacuated from the peninsula. He did not rejoin the battalion in Egypt until late December. Ahearn gained promotion on the Western Front, becoming a captain and company commander in April 1916. He was awarded the Military Cross in late 1917 for his gallantry in the September attack on Zonnebeke, and in 1918 received the Distinguished Service Order for his leadership in the fighting around Hébuterne during the German offensive. He was also Mentioned in Despatches. On 8 August 1918, during 16 Battalion’s advance on Cérisy, he was severely wounded in the back, probably by enfilading fire from the German positions on the Chipilly Spur. At around the same time he informed the AIF of his formal change of title to ‘Charles Ahrens’, the name by which he would be known for the rest of his life. The serious nature of his wound (and his lengthy previous wartime career) precluded any further active service, and he returned to Australia on ‘Anzac Leave’ in December 1918, his appointment being terminated in early 1919. His younger brother 3618 Private Arthur Cyril Ahrens 19th Battalion AIF, died of wounds 21 December 1917.
Click images to start slideshow.