Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From François Berthout

Private number 4399 Charles Dawes 

Over a hundred years ago the battlefields of the Somme that we visit and walk in peaceful silence and pray with respect were for many young men, hell on earth, under dark skies filled with lightning and fury, they served their country and gave their lives, their tombs white and flowered, under the glow of poppies, under the fragile and ephemeral glow of the sun remind us that here, so much blood flowed and lives were broken so that we could live in a peace that we enjoy without being afraid of tomorrow while these young heroes, in the mud of the trenches and in the no man's land, fell to offer us a world at peace, they responded with bravery to call of duty and walked together, they gave their today for our tomorrow and today, in our turn, we will always stand in front of them to honor and remember them with the love and respect that they deserve and it is with this gratitude in my heart that I would like today to pay a very respectful tribute to Private number 4399 Charles Dawes who fought in the 21st Australian Infantry Battalion and who died of his wounds 104 years ago, on November 7th 1916 at the age of 30 on the Somme front.

Charles Dawes was born in 1888 in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, and was the son of Richard and Mary Dawes.After living in England, Charles and his family moved to Australia and lived in Korumburra, South Gippsland, Victoria and Charles was educated at Korumburra State School, Gippsland then after his studies, he lived in Jumbunna, Victoria, where he worked as a miner.

Enlisted on January 31, 1916 at Leongatha, Victoria, in the 21st Australian Infantry Battalion, 11th Reinforcement, he embarked with his unit from Melbourne, Victoria, on board RMS Orontes on March 29, 1916, and sailed to England where he joined the 6th Training Battalion to receive his training and on September 5, 1916 he embarked with his battalion for France where he was disembarked the next day,on September 6, 1916 at Etaples.On September 19, Charles and his battalion were sent to the front of the Somme where he fought with great courage.

Unfortunately, two months later, on November 7, 1916, while fighting in the Heilly sector, Charles met his fate and was severely wounded in the abdomen by a gun shot wound and died of his wounds the same day, he was 30 years old.

Today, Charles rests in peace with his comrades, friends and brothers in arms at Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt-l'Abbe, Somme and his grave bears the following inscription "His loved ones in australia mourn the loss of a good son ".

Charles Dawes shares his grave with Private number 153, Francis Cornwall Moad who fought in the 3rd Australian Infantry Battalion who died of his wounds on November 8, 1916 at the age of 22 and his grave bears the following inscription "Thy will be done in memory of a fond and loving son ".

Charles Dawes had two brothers who fought in the great war

Corporal number 344 George Dawes who fought in the 8th Australian Infantry Battalion and was killed in action on August 7, 1915 at the age of 29 in Gallipoli, he rests in peace in Shrapnel Valley Cemetery, Gallipoli, and his grave bears the following inscription "In life we loved him dearly in death we do the same".
Private number 5079 Richard Gordon Dawes who fought in the 21st Australian Infantry Battalion and who died of his wounds on November 8, 1916 at the age of 17, he now rests in peace in Dartmoor Cemetery, Becordel-Becourt, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription "Please, place a flower for his loved ones in australia".

Charles, on this day, we remember you and your brothers, who all united, answered the call to duty, three sons, three destinies, three valiant hearts who served their country with admirable devotion and exceptional courage, three brothers who endured together the horrors of war and who, on the sands of Gallipoli and the mud of the Somme, shed their blood and did their duty until their last breaths, and who did not have the chance to return home them and left behind a family broken by the weight of an insurmountable loss.they gave their lives and gave their hearts and their courage in the battles because it was the right thing to do for them, today they rest in peace in a friendly country that sees in them, behind the names of their flowered graves , the story of young men and heroes who overcame the horrors of a world at war and sacrificed all they had, brave and determined to do their duty, they gave every part of their youth, they were brave among the brave and fought with constant cold blood under incessant rain of bullets and storms of steel which mowed down all the youth and a whole generation of men who did so much for us and who rest in peace, united and held together with pride in front of their white graves, under the poppies of Remembrance roam the old battlefields and cemeteries of the Somme under the benevolent gaze of the French people who will always watch over them with honor and the greatest Respectfully, they were brothers, sons of Australia and are today, in my heart, my boys of the Somme, our sons, our fathers and they will always be under the Australian and French flag which float with pride under the resplendent sun which spreads its rays on the millions of names of brave men who were here, who fought and fell in the Somme and whom we will never forget and whom we will make live forever in us, in our hearts and in our thoughts, we will never forget them. Thank you Charles, for all that you, your brothers and your comrades did for us. 

Charles Dawes was born in June 1885 at Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England UK, the eldest of 9 children born to his parents Richard and Mary Dawes.  His brothers were George, William and Richard…known as Gordon…and his sisters were Florence, Isabella, Eva, Ida and Olive.  The family came to live in Australia in 1886 when Charles was just a toddler and baby brother George was just 6 weeks old.  They settled at Korumburra in Gippsland, Victoria where Charles attended Korumburra Primary School.  After completing his education he worked as a miner and by 1913 he and his partner Ellen Davenport were living in Jumbunna, Gippsland, where they welcomed a daughter Daphne born that year.  At some point, according to his service record, Charles spent 2 years with the New Zealand Infantry.   

On the 31st January 1916 Charles enlisted for WW1 at Leongatha VIC aged 30 but he gave his age as 29.  Just 5 days later his youngest brother Gordon also enlisted giving his age as 18 when he was actually under age at 17.  The 2nd eldest brother George had already enlisted on 25th August 1914 at Surrey Hills VIC and he gave his age as 28…although that may not have been correct.  The only brother not to enlist was William. 

Their stories are intertwined so this biography is the story of all 3 brothers who went to serve their King and country in war and all 3 would make the supreme sacrifice.  This shines a light on the high cost of war that some families paid during WW1.  A photograph was taken in 1909 of the whole family together…most likely it was the last one…no one could have known then that in just a few short years they would suffer heartbreaking loss. 

George was with the 8th Infantry Battalion and sailed with the 1st Convoy from Albany on 1st November 1914.  After completing his training in Egypt he took part in the landings at Gallipoli on 24th April 1915.  During the battle for Lone Pine he was killed in action on 7th August 1915 aged 28.  He was buried at Shrapnel Valley Cemetery at Gallipoli.  This was the first loss for the family and perhaps this was a factor in why Charles and Gordon both enlisted in early 1916.  In the book “The Lost Boys” written by Paul Byrnes, he comments that when Gordon told his parents that he’d enlisted his mother was devastated and threatened to inform the authorities that he was under age.  However, Charles having had some military experience, stepped in and said he would look after him and that it was better that Gordon go to war with his brother rather than have him go by himself a year later when he was legally old enough to enlist. 

Charles is described as being 5ft 8ins tall with a fair complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.  His service number was 4399, his rank Private and he was assigned to the 10th Depot Training Battalion C Company at Broadmeadows Camp in early February 1916.  In early March he was assigned to the 21st Infantry Battalion 11th Reinforcements then embarked from Melbourne on 29th March on RMS Orontes.  He disembarked at Plymouth UK 6 weeks later.  Meanwhile…Gordon with the 6th Infantry Battalion was still in training at Broadmeadows when Charles embarked but he soon followed him and arrived in Egypt on 12th May.  Charles kept his word to his parents to look after Gordon…he helped to have Gordon transferred to the 21st Battalion so they could serve together.  Gordon embarked for England from Egypt in late May 1916 then proceeded to the 6th Training Battalion at Rollestone Camp UK where he met up with Charles.  After completing their training the brothers embarked for France on 5th September 1916.  Upon disembarking they proceeded to the Australian General Base Depot at Etaples before they joined their unit at St Lawrence Camp near Ypres in Belgium on 19th September 1916.  In late September the Battalion moved to Toronto Camp between Ypres and Poperinghe. 

On the 14th October 1916 the Battalion moved into the frontline at Hill 60 near Ypres.  They entrained 4 days later for the Somme where they moved into the frontline at Flers on 4th November 1916.  On the 6th November Charles suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and was evacuated to the 38th Casualty Clearing Station at Heilly where he succumbed to his wounds the next day.  He was 31.  Gordon most likely would not have known about Charles’ death on the 7th November when that same day he himself was seriously wounded with a gunshot wound to the abdomen and thigh.  He was evacuated to the 15th Field Ambulance at Becordel-Becourt where he succumbed to his wounds the next day.  He was just 17.

Paul Byrnes comments in his book “The Lost Boys” that it is no exaggeration to say that in part, mud killed both Charles and Gordon.  Mud made the trenches impassable so they were forced to walk in the open in sight of the enemy.  Mud made the rifles jam and stopped hot food from reaching the troops at the front.  Mud gave the soldiers trench foot from standing in it for hours up to their thighs.  Mud made the job of the stretcher bearers impossible as it could take 12 hours to get one man back to an aid post over a distance that would normally take an hour in the dry.  Mud made the task of the soldiers impossible and their rescue and treatment when wounded, unmanageable. 

Charles was buried at Heilly Station Cemetery, Heilly, and Gordon was buried at Dartmoor Cemetery at Becordel-Becourt...a distance of 9 miles between the two.  The names of all 3 brothers killed in WW1 appear along with the names of their parents on the family headstone at the Korumburra Cemetery VIC. 

Both Charles and Gordon are commemorated on panel 93 of the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra ACT and Geoge is commemorated on panel 52.  All 3 brothers are commemorated on the Korumburra Pictorial Roll of Honour, the Korumburra War Memorial and the Korumburra South & District Honour Roll.  

After the war their parents received a Memorial Scroll, Plaque and Royal Letter from the King for each one of them.  These were presented to the next of kin of those who died while serving in the Australian Imperial Force in WW1, acknowledging the service of the fallen and their loss as a family.                

Charles Dawes was awarded for service in WW1 the 1914-1915 Star and the British War Medal.

Respectfully submitted by Sue Smith 4th October 2023.

Sources

“The Lost Boys” written by Paul Byrnes (Book)