Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Charles Francis CANTRELL #3311 49th Infantry Battalion

Charles Cantrell was born in 1895 to parents Frederick and Frances Cantrell of Burlington Street, East Brisbane. According to the Roll of Honour Circular completed by his father, Charles attended primary school at East Brisbane Sate School and Brisbane Normal School. He also attended Coorparoo State School commencing in 1902, accompanied by his elder brother Henry. Chas continued with a secondary education at Brisbane Grammar from 1909 to 1911.

During his time at East Brisbane School, Charles was the drummer boy of the school cadets and a member of the cadet corps. Upon leaving Grammar, Charles was a member of the senior cadets at East Brisbane; part of the compulsory training scheme in operation at the time, which were state and national champions two years running.

When Charles presented himself for enlistment on 3rd August 1915, he had just turned 20. He advised the recruiter that he was employed as a clerk with the State Works department and nominated his father of Burlington Street as his next of kin.
After spending a short time in a depot battalion at Enoggera, Charles was drafted as a reinforcement for the 9th Battalion which was at that time holding positions at ANZAC on Gallipoli. Charles and the rest of the 11th reinforcements left Brisbane on 21st October on the “Warilda” and landed in Egypt just as the final decision to withdraw from the ANZAC beach head was taken.

With all of the Gallipoli troops back in Egypt, work began on reorganising the AIF into a much larger military organisation. Battalions such as the 9th, to which Charles had originally been destined, were split to form the nucleus of two new battalions. On 29th February 1916, Charles was officially taken on strength of the 49th Battalion, part of the newly formed 4th Division AIF. On 1st April, Charles was promoted to corporal and two weeks later was posted to a school of instruction at Zeitoun.

On 5th June 1916, the 49th departed Alexandria by ship and landed in Marseilles a week later. The newly arrived Australians were destined for a huge offensive in the valley of the Somme. On 1st July 1916, Haig (Supreme British Commander on the Western Front) launched the Somme offensive. Casualties were enormous but Haig was determined to keep up the pressure. Three of the four Australian divisions in France were deployed to the Somme. The Australians were to go into their first major action at Pozieres.

The 1st and 2nd Divisions were thrust into the struggle for Pozieres first during late July and early August, and had secured the village and the important blockhouse on the site of a windmill above the village. It was then the turn of the 4th Division to continue the offensive towards a ruined farm which the Germans had heavily fortified by extending the cellars and creating a line of three defensive trenches. The farm was depicted on the maps as “La Ferme du Mouquet” but the Australians referred to it as “Moo Cow Farm” or “Mucky Farm.”

The assault of the farm was conducted on an ever decreasing front that was enfiladed by German artillery and machine guns on three sides. The ground was so churned up that advancing troops could not recognise a trench line when they reached it. Attempts to dig new trenches were unsuccessful due to the loose ground caving in. During the first few days of September 1916, the battalions of the 4th Division launched successive attacks against the fortifications of the farm. The front was so no narrow that only a company at a time (about two hundred men) could be accommodated in the jumping off position. After another unsuccessful attempt on 4th September, Corporal Charles Cantrell was listed as missing.

Once the battalion was relieved a thorough roll call confirmed that the 49th Battalion had suffered 420 casualties (killed, wounded and missing) at Mouquet Farm in the first week of September. Charles’ family was advised that he was missing and enquiries were begun with the Red Cross Wounded and Missing Inquiry Service to ascertain any news.

It would not be until almost 12 months later that a Court of Inquiry was conducted into the battalion’s missing men, resulting in the finding that Charles Cantrell had been killed in action. His family were then able to obtain death certificates to redeem life insurance and apply for probate. Eventually Charles’ personal belongings were also returned to Burlington Street.

At the end of the war, the Cantrell family received Charles’ medals, commemorative plaque and scroll. His father was informed that Charles’ remains had not been located and as such he would be commemorated on a memorial to those who had lost their lives in France and had no known grave, but in 1930, the family were advised that Charles’ remains had been located at Courcelette, not far from Mouquet Farm. His identity was confirmed by the distinctive Australian uniform rising sun badges and an identity disc, which was thoughtfully returned to the family. His remains were reinterred at the Serre Road Cemetery No.2 amongst 7000 burials, 5000 of whom are unidentified.