Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Arthur Charles Haddon Carter

Service Number: 17044

Arthur Charles Haddon Carter was born on 23.12.1896 in Petersham, New South Wales, Australia. He was the oldest child of Arthur W Carter and Annie L. Two years later his younger brother Frank Euart Nelson Carter was born, followed by his younger sister Dorothy Edna May Carter in 1904.(1) He grew up in his hometown at Dulwich Hill, New South Wales, where he continued to live with his family at 124 The Boulevarde. Charles'  father worked as an importer while he had been a salesman before the war. (1) Charles-Haddon was a methodist and had attended Sydney Technical High School.(2)

In December 1909, Australia adopted a compulsory military service to strengthen national defence. According to law, all boys between the ages of 12 and 14 were listed as Junior Cadets and received 90 years of training annually.(3) At the age of 13, he had been listed as a Junior Cadet for around a year. Under training, Charles Haddon participated in physical training, which consisted of marching drills, miniature rifle shooting, swimming, running exercises, and first aid practice. After the completion of Junior Cadets at the age of 14, he registered as a Senior Cadet.(4) Charles Haddon had completed four years of service as a Senior Cadet till he reached the age of 18. His annual trading included 4 whole days, twelve half-days, and twenty-four-night drills for 16 days, where he had formed companies with his peers  at high school to train alongside. Moreover, after the age of 18, Arthur Charles Haddon Carter joined the militia for a year.  

In the pursuit of joining the war, Arthur Charles Haddon Carter enlisted as a soldier on the 9th of February 1916. He had enlisted at Addison Road community centre at the age of 19 years and 2 months. During enlistment, he was recorded to be  5 foot 9 ¼ inches tall and weigh 67 kilograms. Additionally, he had a chest measurement of 33.37 inches and easily passed the minimum requirements. (4)

According to his medical examination, he had pleurisy a year before enlistment, however, he had easily recovered and was determined fit to enlist.(4) Arthur Charles Haddon Carter was assigned to the Army Medical Corps with the service number 17044. He served under the 3rd division of the 9th Australian Field Ambulance as a private rank. Before his embankment, Charles trained in Liverpool Field Hospital to administer First Aid sufficient to clear airways, learn how to staunch bleeding and manage split fractures.(5) Following his training, Arthur was ready to embark on his journey to the Western Front.

On May 11, 1917, Arthur Charles Haddon Carter embarked from Melbourne on the HMAT Shropshire, heading towards the Western Front. He reached the United Kingdom on 27.7.1917 and arrived in France on 11.10.1917 (4) to support the infantry battalions on the frontlines. Charles Haddon had arrived on the combat scene in the closing stages of the 3rd battle of Ypres. The ambulance unit was frequently exposed to enemy direct and indirect fire, facing the same risks as the front-line combat troops. Charles states that they had to carry the stretcher cases shoulder-high because of the sunken roads, shell holes & mud. (1) The unit moved from Belgium to the Somme in France, where Charles Haddon slept at a farmhouse at Valines on the Somme River. In the following year, throughout March & April, Charles Carter served as part of support for the 33rd, 34th & 35 infantry Battalions during the critical defence of Villers Bretonneux. (6) Furthermore, he also served with his unit in General Monash's decisive advance from Hamel through the Somme Valley in August 1918. (1)

Arthur Charles Haddon Carter was recommended for a military medal by his superior officer, Captain T. Yolles on 9.10.1918. The officer stated the reason for the recommendation as a brave rescue on the 29th of September 1918. He writes that “Pte Carter led out a brave squad through machine gun barrage to the tank...It was owing to his steadiness, energy and courage that the lives of these two men were saved.” Moreover, Charles was quoted as a “brave man and has set a very fine example to his fellow men.”(7) He returned to Australia on 6th of July 1919. After a total service of 3 years and 232 days, Arthur Charles Haddon Carter was discharged on 27.9.1919 at the age of 22.75 years. Charles Haddon was further awarded the Victory and the British War Medal to British and Imperial forces serving during the war. (2)

After the war, Arthur Charles Haddon Carter had found a partner named Sarah E Bailey. They married and registered it in 1921. (1) Although they had two children, their identities were not revealed publicly. Their marriage ended on 22.02.1975 when his wife passed away at the age of 77 years old. (1)

Unfortunately, two years shortly after his wife's death, Arthur Charles Haddon Carter died on 10.01.1978 at the age of 81 years old.(8) Although his cause of death is unknown, Arthur Charles Haddon Carter is remembered as a brave and proud soldier in the war with his name on the Sydney Tech honour roll.

Endnotes 

(1)  CARTER C    -    Arthur Charles Haddon 17044 salesman – Google Drive. (n.d.). https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KbwwgeXc8R4BbNgqXUGG-89BVcdnLkZC

(2) Details. (n.d.). https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=47756

(3) The Australian Militia system on JSTOR. (n.d.). www.jstor.org. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44697838

(4) scheme=AGLSTERMS.AglsAgent; corporateName=National Archives of Australia; address=Queen Victoria Terrace, Parkes, ACT 2600; contact=+61 2 6212 3600. (n.d.). RecordSearch - National Archives of Australia. https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3212231

(5) 9th Field Ambulance 9th Brigade, 3rd Division, AIF. (n.d.). Virtual War Memorial Australia. https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/17

(6) AWM4 Subclass 26/52 - 9th Australian Field Ambulance. (n.d.). Australian War Memorial. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338721

(7) Army Form W.312. (n.d.). https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1068573/document/5509006.PDF

(8) Charles Haddon CARTER. (n.d.). https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/139749