Charles Edward SCULLEY

SCULLEY, Charles Edward

Service Number: 2481
Enlisted: 8 June 1915, Enlisted at Liverpool.
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 4th Infantry Battalion
Born: Bermondsey, London, England, March 1890
Home Town: Redfern, City of Sydney, New South Wales
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Tram Conductor
Died: Died of wounds, France, 25 July 1916
Cemetery: Puchevillers British Cemetery, France
Plot II, Row B, Grave No. 7
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board
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World War 1 Service

8 Jun 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2481, 4th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Liverpool.
14 Jul 1915: Involvement Private, 2481, 4th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Orsova embarkation_ship_number: A67 public_note: ''
14 Jul 1915: Embarked Private, 2481, 4th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Orsova, Sydney
24 Jul 1916: Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2481, 4th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , Caused by shell explosion driving timber into his back. Died the next day at the Dressing Station.

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Biography contributed by John Oakes

Charles Edward SCULLEY (Service Number 2481) was born at Bermondsey, London about March 1890. He was appointed as a tram conductor in Sydney on 1st September 1911. 

He enlisted at Liverpool on 8th June 1915, giving his wife Myrtle, living in George Street Redfern, as his next of kin. He was allotted to the 4th Battalion. He embarked HMAT ‘Orsova’ at Sydney on 14th July 1915 and reached Alexandria (Egypt) on 10th October. Only 17 days later he was ashore at Gallipoli as reinforcements to the Battalion. The campaign was almost over and after only a few weeks he was evacuated through Mudros (on the Greek island of Lemnos) to Alexandria on HMT ‘Simla’. In early January 1916 he ‘re-joined Unit ex Absent Without Leave’ at Tel-el-Kebir. The AWL appears to have been overlooked, perhaps in the confusion of the evacuation. However later in that month he was AWL from 26th January 1916 to 3rd February and this led to the forfeiture of nine days’ pay and 28 days Field Punishment No. 2.

On 23rd March 1916 Sculley embarked ‘Simla’ again for passage to the British Expeditionary Force and the Western Front in France through Marseilles where he passed on 30th March.

He was wounded in action on 24 July and died of those wounds the next day, 25th July 1916, at No. 3 Casualty Clearing Station.

There are several reports of his wound, caused by a shell explosion driving timber into his back. Cpl P E Ward (3291) said that:

‘I saw him after he was wounded in the back at Pozières on Monday 24.7.16. He seemed very bad; it was caused by a piece of timber.’

L Cpl A H Lalta (2478) knew that:

‘Sculley had his back broken and died 1½ hours after arriving at the Dressing Station’. 

Cpl S F Bass (3239) said that:

‘The piece of wood was driven right into his body.’ 

L Hayes (2383) saw him:

‘carried away on a stretcher on 25.7.16 at Pozières with a big hole in his back. He was bandaged up, but you could see blood oozing through the bandages. I do not know how long he lived.’

Charles Sculley was buried the next day at the Puchvillers Cemetery 7½ miles SSE of Doullens.

Pensions were awarded to his widow, Myrtle Mildred Sculley (£2 per fortnight) and their child Edward Stuart (£1 per fortnight), from 26th October 1916.

- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.

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