Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Charles Henry LITTLE #6047 15th Battalion

There are four soldiers named Little on the Kilcoy Roll of Honour and it seems that all four were brothers, the sons of John James and Elizabeth Little. Charles Little was born at Kilcoy but by the time of his enlistment was working on a selection in the Dawson Valley at Rannes with his brother William.

Charles presented himself for enlistment in Rockhampton on 9th March 1916. He stated his age as 22 and occupation as selector. Charles travelled to Enoggera where he was placed in a depot battalion before being allocated as a reinforcement for the 15th Battalion.

Charles embarked for overseas on the “Itonus” in Brisbane on 8th August and disembarked at Plymouth on 18th October. He spent some time in camp at Rollestone before being shipped to France where he joined his battalion on 30th January 1917. The winter of 1916/17 was one of the harshest on record and the troops rotating in and out of the front line were more concerned with the weather than the enemy.

The spring of 1917 on the Somme saw significant movement by the Germans as they withdrew to the heavily fortified Hindenburg Line. As the British forces followed the German withdrawal, Charles and the 15th Battalion were thrust into the action at Bullecourt in April 1917. Bullecourt followed the pattern of previous battles on the Somme; poor planning, exposed lines and a strongly entrenched enemy. In addition, the divisional commander had dispensed with the usual artillery support in favour of the new super weapon; the tank. All the tanks broke down, got lost or were easy targets for the German field artillery. Casualties were high and the Australians had developed a distinct loathing for the British Generals who kept sending them to “chew barbed wire.” The 15th battalion war diary records that the battalion suffered 390 casualties at Bullecourt; virtually half its fighting strength.

Following the disaster at Bullecourt, the 15th Battalion went into a long period of rest and recuperation in Belgian Flanders. Charles Little was promoted to Lance Corporal in June just as the Battle of Messines began with the firing of 19 underground mines. By August, the 15th was back in the line at Messines when Charles was killed in action as a result of an artillery barrage. He was buried near the front line by a burial party.

Charles had left a detailed will back in Kilcoy. He bequeathed the 200 pounds from a life assurance policy to his brother William as well as his interest in a farming block at Raglan, south of Rockhampton. By the time the will passed through probate, William was himself in the AIF and would be killed at Dernacourt in April 1918. Charles’ brother Ernest was granted a chestnut mare, a saddle and bridle. At the conclusion of the war in Europe, scattered battlefield burials were consolidated into large permanent cemeteries. Charles’ remains were reinterred in the Messines British Cemetery.