Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

 
# 6181 REGAN Charles                        25th Battalion
Charles Regan was born at Wooroolin around 1895 and lived with his parents Charles snr and Nora at Coolabunia. After leaving school, Charles worked on the family property. He also served for 18 months in the Australian Light Horse Troop at Kingaroy before resigning to enlist in the AIF.
Charles presented himself to the Adelaide Street Recruitment Office in Brisbane on 3rd May 1916. He stated his age as 21 years and occupation as grazier. Charles was taken in by a depot battalion at Enoggera for initial training and in July was posted to corporal school, after which he given the rank of acting corporal. In September, Charles was allocated to the 17th reinforcements of the 25th Battalion.
The reinforcements boarded the “Marathon” in Brisbane on 27th October and landed at Plymouth in early January 1917. They proceeded to the 7th Brigade Training Battalion at Rollestone on Salisbury Plain where Charles reverted to the rank of private. The reinforcements continued with training until June when Charles and some 50 others were sent to Europe to be taken on by the 25th Battalion.
At the time that Charles and the other reinforcements were taken on strength by the 25th, the battalion was resting and training in preparation for its part in the coming battles in the Ypres salient in Belgian Flanders. The battalion war diary lists a series of musketry competitions, brigade manoeuvres, sports and visits to the divisional baths for a change of underwear and delousing of uniforms. Additionally, up to 100 men a day were released from normal duties to assist local farmers with bringing in the harvest.
While still in the rear areas near Renescure, on 8th September, Charles reported sick to a casualty clearing station. His file lists the diagnosis as PUO (Pyrexia of Unknown Origin). When his condition did not improve, Charles was sent to the Scottish 58th General Hospital at Saint Omer on 11th September.
The 58th General Hospital had been established in August 1917 in anticipation of the need to deal with increased casualties during the 3rd battle of Ypres (often referred to as Passchendaele). The hospital was almost exclusively accommodated in a range of tents and marquees. On the evening of 30th September, a flight of German bombers (probably twin engine Gotha Heavy Bombers) attacked a number of targets in and around St Omer, including the 58th General Hospital. One bomb scored a direct hit on a marquee which contained recovering sick and wounded.
Many patients and nursing staff were killed or injured. Charles Regan was one of the wounded. In spite of care from the nursing staff, Charles died of his wounds the following day. A mass funeral was held on the 2ndOctober for 3 nurses and 16 ordinary ranks who were victims of the air raid. All of the deceased were buried in the Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery at St Omer.
Charles’ mother received a letter from one of the surviving nursing staff and a Sergeant Francis Hoare who was part of the same echelon of reinforcements as Charles also corresponded with Nora Regan at Coolabunia offering his condolences.
Nora Regan was granted a war pension of 30 shillings a fortnight. She wrote to the authorities regarding a wristwatch and a fountain pen that had been part of her son’s personal belongings but these items were never returned to her. Charles senior and Nora chose the following inscription for their son’s headstone: SWEET JESUS HAVE MERCY ON HIS SOUL; INSCRIBED BY HIS LOVING PARENTS.