CARMAN, David William
| Service Number: | 2646 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 30 August 1916, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 50th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Keilli, South Australia, Australia , 18 October 1898 |
| Home Town: | Port Broughton, Barunga West, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Wards Hill Public School, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Villers-Bretonneux, France, 25 April 1918, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
Hangard Communal Extension Cemetery Also commemorated on a family grave at Dudley Park Cemetery 11 A 18 |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Adelaide The 50th Battalion Commemorative Cross, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Port Broughton War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 30 Aug 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2646, Adelaide, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Oct 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2646, 50th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1 | |
| 23 Oct 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2646, 50th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Port Melbourne, Adelaide | |
| 25 Apr 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2646, 50th Infantry Battalion, Villers-Bretonneux |
The other brother and sister
Ruby Adelaide Carman nee Catchlove went to the Middle East as a nurse and my father Kenneth John Carman (Jack) went to Papua New Guinea and the Islands as a mechanic during the second world war. Both fortunately returned.
Submitted 4 April 2015 by Liz Penfold
Biography
A farmer form Port Broughton, South Australia, prior to enlistment, David Carman embarked with the 6th Reinforcements of the 50th Battalion, from Adelaide on 23 October 1916 aboard HMAT Port Melbourne (A16) for Devonport, England.
Following training at Codford he proceeded to France and joined his battalion on the Western Front near Armentieres.
David Carman was wounded in action at Westhoek Ridge, Belgium, on 25 September 1917 and was evacuated to England for treatment and recuperation before rejoining his unit near Corbie in early April 1918.
Within a month, David Carman was killed in action in the attack on Villers-Bretonneux on 25 April 1918 and is buried in the Hangard Communal Cemetery Extension, France. He was aged 19 years.
His older brother, 521 Lance Corporal Clement Claude Carman, 27th Battalion, was killed in action at Flers on 5 November 1916 and his oldest brother 5063 Pte Roland Clarence Carman, 10th Battalion, was killed in action near Bapaume on 8 April 1917. They were aged 21 and 23 years respectively. Both have no known grave and they are commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, France.
The three brothers are commemorated on a family headstone at the Dudley Park Cemetery in Adelaide (main photo). Their Commemorative plaques (or Dead Man’s Pennies) awarded to the family, distinguish the memorial and mark a family's sacrifice. It would have provided scant solace for a loss so profound it is difficult to imagine the family recovering from the grief that must have overtaken them. That the parents died relatively soon after this family tragedy is perhaps hardly surprising.
British War Medal 50526
Victory Medal 49886
Commemorative Plaque 345129
Click images to start slideshow.