PARBS, Charles George
| Service Number: | 6649 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 6th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Keyneton Soldier Memorial Institute and Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 6649, 6th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Nestor embarkation_ship_number: A71 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 6649, 6th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Nestor, Melbourne | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 6649, 6th Infantry Battalion |
Charlie George Parbs
Name: Charlie George Parbs
Service Number: 6649
Place of Birth: Keyneton
Date of Birth: 27 February 1896
Place of Enlistment: Broadmeadows, Victoria
Date of Enlistment: 27 June 1916
Age at Enlistment: 21 years 4 months
Next of Kin: Father – Frederick Johann [John] Parbs
Occupation: Stable boy / Jockey
Religion: Roman Catholic
Rank: Private
Charlie George Parbs was the son of Frederick and Anne Parbs (nee
Schultz). He left Melbourne on HMAT A71 Nestora on 2 October
1916, disembarking at Plymouth, England on 6 November. Further
training was undertaken at Weymouth until March. On 24
December Charlie was admitted to Lucknow Hospital and later
Weymouth with chronic meningitis. Consequently, he was returned
to Australia per Barambah on 8 April 1917 and was discharged on
23 October.
After the war Charlie changed his name to James. G. Collin
Richardson (known as George) and enlisted in World War Two on 12
March 1941, at Royal Park, Victoria with service number V 12074,
aged 43 years and 1 month. He also brought forward his date of
birth, listing it as 27 February 1898. George gave his next of kin as
his wife Mary. M. Richardson of 10 Orgill Street, Dandenong.
George gave his place of birth as Brighton, England, listed his
occupation as motor driver and gave his religion as being Salvation
Army.
George served with 119 Reserve Motor Transport Company of the
Army, and was appointed Sergeant on 4 October 1941. He was
burnt to death in a fire at Fishermen’s Bend Camp on 12 July 1942.
The Court of Inquiry conducted on 26 October 1942, concluded
George’s cause of death was asphyxiation and shock, being burnt to
death whilst on duty.
In April 1953, George’s son Colin applied for his father’s World War
One and Two medals on behalf of his widowed mother, Mary.
George James Collin Richardson’s name is located at 84 in the
Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial.
When he died, his “Richardson” family discovered his war service
record, original name etc. They were very upset at not having
known of his previous name. They managed to trace him to the
Parbs family at Keyneton, but no further contact was able to be
established by the Parbs. As such, much of George’s life between
the end of World War One and his tragic death in 1942 remains a
mystery.
Source: NAA; B2455; ParbsCG; Barcode 12029634
Interview with Valerie Parbs
Submitted 14 October 2023 by christopher collins