WILLCOX, Charles Angas
| Service Number: | Commissioned Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 March 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 50th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Adelaide South Australia, 1892 |
| Home Town: | North Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Prince Alfred College |
| Occupation: | Gentleman |
| Died: | Adelaide, South Australia, 28 November 1960, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Adelaide Rowing Club WW1 Pictorial Honour Board, Naval Military and Air Force Club of SA Inc WW1 Honour Roll, North Adelaide Baptist Church Honour Roll, Prospect Roll of Honour G-Z WWI Board |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, Commissioned Officer, 50th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Oct 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, Commissioned Officer, 50th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Melbourne embarkation_ship_number: A16 public_note: '' | |
| 8 Aug 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Commissioned Officer, 50th Infantry Battalion, "The Last Hundred Days" | |
| 10 Sep 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Commissioned Officer, 50th Infantry Battalion, Breaching the Hindenburg Line - Cambrai / St Quentin Canal, OC D Company | |
| 10 Jun 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Commissioned Officer, 50th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Steve Larkins
Charles Angas WILLCOX (1892-1960)
Charles Angas Willcox was born on 8 August 1892, one of eleven children of his namesake father, a prominent and successful 'self-made' Adelaide businessman and onetime Lord Mayor of Adelaide, and his wife Jeannie.
Charles listed his occupation on enlistment as 'Gentleman', so it seems he did not have to work for a living.
He like many of his Army peers was a Member of the Adelaide Rowing Club where his picture is displayed on their WW1 Honour Board.
He enlisted and after commissioning, was assigned to the 6th Reinforcements of the 50th Battalion. The 50th became known as 'The Barrier Battalion' because of a strong association with Broken Hill, which although geographically located in NSW, has always been militarily affiliated with South Australia largely because of its physical connection to Port Pirie and the lead smelter there.
The 50th had been spawned from the 10th Battalion, aka 'The Adelaide Rifles'. Many of its junior officers had been soldiers in the 10th who had distinguished themselves at Gallipoli, but many were lost, particulalry at the fighting around Noreuil in early April 1917.
Charles Willcox and a colleague, Keith Wilkinson, who had been commissioned with Charles, were taken on strength by the 50th Battalion in April 1917, making good some of the losses of young officers in that battle.
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