Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Charles Ewart #6065 26th Battalion / 7th Machine Gun Company

According to his enlistment papers, Charles Ewart was born in Brisbane and was 26 years old, working as a printer. He gave his father as next of kin with an address in Glenelg, South Australia but later correspondence indicates that his brother, W.J. Ewart lived at Rialto Street, Coorparoo.

Upon enlistment on 25 August 1916, Charles was originally drafted into the 15th Battalion but by the time of embarkation, had been transferred to the 17th reinforcements for the 26th Battalion. HMAT “Marathon” departed Pinkenba Wharf on 27th October 1916 for Plymouth via Capetown. Whilst at sea, Charles was briefly hospitalised with tonsillitis.

On arrival in England, Charles spent almost three months in the training camp at Rolleston before crossing the channel to Etaples where he arrived on 5th April 1917.
At this time, the 26th Battalion were in camp behind the lines in Belgium and shortly after his arrival; Charles was seconded into the brigade’s machine gun company.

Haig, the Supreme Commander of British Forces planned an offensive in the Ypres salient in the spring and summer of 1917 and the task fell to General Plumer, who planned to open the offensive at Messines. The plan called for 19 mines to be exploded under the German lines after an artillery bombardment requiring 3 and a half million shells. Once Messines was taken, utilizing Plumer’s bite and hold strategy, the advance would move west from Ypres in small stages down the Menin Road towards Polygon Wood, Broodseinde Ridge and finally Passchendaele.

During the course of the war, the infantry brigades in the AIF; consisting of four battalions, were increasingly supported by machine gun and trench mortar companies as these weapons became more plentiful, and tactics improved. The 7th Machine Gun Company (attached to the 7th Brigade) was equipped with the Vickers Machine Gun. The machine gun was quite bulky and required a crew of four men to drag it on a limber, supply ammunition and mount the weapon. The company’s war diary describes how the machine gun sections would be employed in the attack on the Menin Road front on 20 September 1917, moving forward with advancing infantry under the artillery barrage.

It is most likely that Charles Ewart, and the rest of his gun crew were killed late in the day by an artillery shell. The Red Cross Wounded and Missing Report contains the statements of several witnesses, often with conflicting accounts. This is explained by the fact that many of the witnesses were not interviewed until sometime after 20th September, when they were on leave in England or in hospital. Most accounts report that Charles was killed with three other men by an artillery shell.

His father as next of kin would probably have been notified, although he had changed address several times from Glenelg and it was his brother who wrote to base records informing them that perhaps a mistake had been made as the notification was for a C.E. Ewart. He pointed out his brother had no middle name. Base Records responded by apologising for the error and cited the possibility that the cable was mutilated in transmission, and confirmed that his brother was Killed in Action on 20th September 1917.

Charles’ family were at least fortunate in knowing where their son and brother was buried, in the Hooge Crater Cemetery on the Menin Road, just five kilometres from Ypres. Many of the casualties from the third battle of Ypres; as the whole campaign from Messines to Passchendaele was called, have no known grave and are commemorated on the memorial tablets of the Menin Gate, Ypres (there are 55,000 names on the memorial tablets) or at Tyne Cot, Passchendaele (there are 30,000 names on the memorial tablets).

Further correspondence in Charles’ file indicates that his beneficiary, his brother, was entitled to a funeral benefit from the Druids Lodge and the Printing Union.

Charles Ewart #6065 26th Battalion / 7th Machine Gun Company

According to his enlistment papers, Charles Ewart was born in Brisbane and was 26 years old, working as a printer. He gave his father as next of kin with an address in Glenelg, South Australia but later correspondence indicates that his brother, W.J. Ewart lived at Rialto Street, Coorparoo.

Upon enlistment on 25 August 1916, Charles was originally drafted into the 15th Battalion but by the time of embarkation, had been transferred to the 17th reinforcements for the 26th Battalion. HMAT “Marathon” departed Pinkenba Wharf on 27th October 1916 for Plymouth via Capetown. Whilst at sea, Charles was briefly hospitalised with tonsillitis.

On arrival in England, Charles spent almost three months in the training camp at Rolleston before crossing the channel to Etaples where he arrived on 5th April 1917.
At this time, the 26th Battalion were in camp behind the lines in Belgium and shortly after his arrival; Charles was seconded into the brigade’s machine gun company.

Haig, the Supreme Commander of British Forces planned an offensive in the Ypres salient in the spring and summer of 1917 and the task fell to General Plumer, who planned to open the offensive at Messines. The plan called for 19 mines to be exploded under the German lines after an artillery bombardment requiring 3 and a half million shells. Once Messines was taken, utilizing Plumer’s bite and hold strategy, the advance would move west from Ypres in small stages down the Menin Road towards Polygon Wood, Broodseinde Ridge and finally Passchendaele.

During the course of the war, the infantry brigades in the AIF; consisting of four battalions, were increasingly supported by machine gun and trench mortar companies as these weapons became more plentiful, and tactics improved. The 7th Machine Gun Company (attached to the 7th Brigade) was equipped with the Vickers Machine Gun. The machine gun was quite bulky and required a crew of four men to drag it on a limber, supply ammunition and mount the weapon. The company’s war diary describes how the machine gun sections would be employed in the attack on the Menin Road front on 20 September 1917, moving forward with advancing infantry under the artillery barrage.

It is most likely that Charles Ewart, and the rest of his gun crew were killed late in the day by an artillery shell. The Red Cross Wounded and Missing Report contains the statements of several witnesses, often with conflicting accounts. This is explained by the fact that many of the witnesses were not interviewed until sometime after 20th September, when they were on leave in England or in hospital. Most accounts report that Charles was killed with three other men by an artillery shell.

His father as next of kin would probably have been notified, although he had changed address several times from Glenelg and it was his brother who wrote to base records informing them that perhaps a mistake had been made as the notification was for a C.E. Ewart. He pointed out his brother had no middle name. Base Records responded by apologising for the error and cited the possibility that the cable was mutilated in transmission, and confirmed that his brother was Killed in Action on 20th September 1917.

Charles’ family were at least fortunate in knowing where their son and brother was buried, in the Hooge Crater Cemetery on the Menin Road, just five kilometres from Ypres. Many of the casualties from the third battle of Ypres; as the whole campaign from Messines to Passchendaele was called, have no known grave and are commemorated on the memorial tablets of the Menin Gate, Ypres (there are 55,000 names on the memorial tablets) or at Tyne Cot, Passchendaele (there are 30,000 names on the memorial tablets).

Further correspondence in Charles’ file indicates that his beneficiary, his brother, was entitled to a funeral benefit from the Druids Lodge and the Printing Union.