BAILEY, Charles Douglas
| Service Numbers: | 6129, TX1542, T101895 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 August 1915, Hobart, Tasmania |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 1st Corps Signals Medium Artillery |
| Born: | Mathinna, Tasmania, Australia, 20 March 1897 |
| Home Town: | Oatlands, Southern Midlands, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Mathina and Oatlands Schools, Tasmania, Australia |
| Occupation: | Engineer (Hobart Telephone Exchange) |
| Died: | War Service related , Hobart Tasmania, Australia , 1977 |
| Cemetery: |
Cornelian Bay Cemetery and Crematorium, Tasmania |
| Memorials: | Oatlands Soldiers Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 10 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Hobart, Tasmania | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Nov 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Gunner, 6129, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade , HMAT Wandilla, Melbourne | |
| 9 Nov 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Gunner, 6129, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '3' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Wandilla embarkation_ship_number: A62 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Nov 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Gunner, 6129, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade |
World War 2 Service
| 22 May 1940: | Enlisted Private, TX1542, Brighton, Tasmania | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 1942: | Discharged Sergeant, TX1542, 1st Corps Signals Medium Artillery | |
| 24 Aug 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Sergeant, T101895 |
C.D.Bailey
He was a very brave man, 7 children, two wars, M.M.& Bar. Met King George v. To receive some of his medals. Got down to under 6 stone while a Rat of Trobuk, he was a big man, near 6 ft tall.
Worked as an engineer for Commonwealth Government at Telephone exchange - Hobart, until he retired in the late 50's.
He would sit with me, in the last month I was pregnant with our second child every day, while my husband worked. Taught me to play crib better :) Have Worchester Sauce with Grilled Lamb Chops.
Submitted 26 June 2015 by Jean Bailey
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
From Sharon Bailey
This is my adored grandfather Charles Douglas (Winger) Bailey. Born in 1897, he grew up at Mathinna and enlisted for WW1 when he was eighteen. His innocently beautiful face in the first photo looks years younger though and it always makes me feel like crying when I look at it. As the attached document shows, he was in the 3rd Field Artillery Brigade and was awarded a Military Medal by His Majesty the King in 1917 for bravery in the field when he was only twenty years old. In his role as a forward scout, he warned his brigade of the approaching enemy who were in their vicinity. He was wounded but survived and eventually came home and married my equally beautiful Gran and together they had seven children. They lived at 92 Montagu Street New Town and he worked for the PMG Dept for many years as a linesman. His name is on the honour roll inside the GPO in Hobart which lists war veterans who worked for the PMG department.
He enlisted for WW2 in 1940 aged forty three. When he reached the Middle East in 1941 he fought at the Siege of Tobruk in Libya where he became one of the legendary Rats of Tobruk. Once again he was wounded in battle and was awarded the Africa Star medal.
After he eventually returned home he was still enlisted and the photo on his light horse was actually taken in Hobart. Once a week and always dressed in his suit and hat, he’d walk to the Talbot Hotel for a beer or three whilst at home he loved a Beenleigh rum and milk and the odd Capstan smoke.
As a grandfather he was funny, kind, generous, humble and loving and he never once spoke of the horrors he endured in both of the world wars. Instead he spent his time ensuring that all of his thirteen grandchildren felt so loved and he was forever making us laugh.
“One fine day in the middle of the night, two dead men got up to fight. One blind man to see fair play, one dumb man to shout hooray. Back to back they faced each other, drew their swords and shot each other. “
“There was a fire in the middle of the ocean. The blind man saw it, the deaf man heard it, the dumb man rang up the fire brigade. The fire brigade came screeching around the corner at nought miles an hour, ran over a dead dog and half killed it and got to the fire two hours early.”
As well as always carrying his memory deep inside my heart, I spend my times in silence on Anzac Day and Armistice Day walking through memory lane with my hero - my beloved grandfather.
Charles Douglas (Winger) Bailey
1897 - 1977
Lest we forget - I never will.
Biography
Regimental Number - 6129 - WW1. Enlisted 10 August 1915
Awarded the Military Medal for Gallantry 1917
Awarded a BAR to his Military Medal for gallantry on 20 Sep 1917 near Hooge, Belgium
1914/15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal, African Star
TX1542 (subsequently served as) T101895 (Army Number) Enlisted 24 August 1942 - WW2
Click images to start slideshow.