CHATTERTON, Charles William
| Service Number: | 4747 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 18th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Birmingham, England, 14 January 1884 |
| Home Town: | Petersham, Marrickville, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Fuelman (for locomotives) |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 8 November 1916, aged 32 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 13 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 4747, 18th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 4747, 18th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Sydney |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
William Charles CHATTERTON, (Service Number 4747) was born on 14 January 1884 at Birmingham, England. He began working for the NSW Railways as a fuelman at Eveleigh Locomotive Depot on 8 Mar 1914, though his record card notes that he had previously been in the role as a casual employee. He maintained this job designation until he joined the Expeditionary Forces on 29 December 1915. On his Attestation Papers he describes his calling as ‘labourer’ as would cover the work of a fuelman. He also answers ‘no’ to the question about his marital status, though there is the later addition of a name and address in Birmingham of a person marked ‘WIFE’. It would seem that Chatterton married Beatrice Sarah on or before 8 September 1916, as on that date an allotment of 4/- per diem was to be paid to her, cancelling the previous arrangement for money to be paid to his sister-in-law in Sydney.
He was killed in action at Flers, France, on 8 November 1916. Although exhaustive searches and investigations were made with the object of locating the grave of William Chatterton, it was not possible either to locate his actual burial place or obtain any information which might indicate his probable original or present resting place.
His name is recorded on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Picardie, France.
Submitted 24 May 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
William Charles CHATTERTON, (Service Number 4747) was born on 14th January 1884 at Birmingham, England. He began working for the NSW Railways as a fuelman at Eveleigh Locomotive Depot on 8th March 1914. He joined the Expeditionary Forces on 29th December 1915. It would seem that Chatterton married Beatrice Sarah on or before 8th September 1916, as on that date an allotment of 4/- per diem was to be paid to her, cancelling the previous arrangement for money to be paid to his sister-in-law in Sydney.
William left Australia from Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Ceramic’ on 13th April 1916.
On 22nd September 1916 he travellled to France from England. He joined the 18th Australian Infantry Battalion on 2 October.
He was killed in action at Flers, France, on 8th November 1916. Although exhaustive searches and investigations were made with the object of locating the grave of William Chatterton, it was not possible either to locate his actual burial place or obtain any information which might indicate his probable original or present resting place.
His name is recorded on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Picardie, France.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board