Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Oscar Charles Kellner was born in 1897 in Mosman, Australia.[i] His family consisted of his Father, Heinrich August Ernst Kellner and Mother, Sarah Henrietta Button. He attended Sydney Technical High School and graduated in 1912. He was an exceptional student and scored highly during school coming 3rd in his class. [ii]

Oscar Charles Kellner Enlisted in the A.I.F on the 24 April 1916 at 21 years of age. He joined the RFC (Royal Flying Corps) Training School in 23 April 1917 and was sent to Point Cook to learn how to learn how to fly aircraft in combat. By 23 September 1917, he had finished his training and was a qualified Observer, and Lieutenant. His training as a pilot secured him a place in the Australian Flying Corps. The AFC was created in 1912, and they initially operated at the Mesopotamian Campaign. The AFC aided in France and Palestine. The Australian Flying Corps was a branch of the Australian Army until disbanded in 1919.

Oscar was also part of the 34th Battalion and soon after he enlisted, was sent off to the United Kingdom for training on May 1916. His battalion arrived there in late June and they spent the next five months training. Afterwards, they traveled to France on the 22 November and on the 27 of November they moved into the trenches of the Western Front. [iii]The 34th Battalion took part in its first major battle in mid-1917. This battle took place near the village of Messines, on 7 June. The battle ended in a tragic defeat with over half of the 34th battalion casualties. Oscar was injured during this battle on the 26th of June. [iv]

Oscar also took part at the Villers - Bretonneux push. The German Army started its last great offensive towards the end of 1918. The 34th battalion was one of the forces deployed to stop their approach to Amiens around Villers-Bretonneux. Oscar and the 34th battalion took part in a counter-attack against them on the 30th March and helped to defeat a major drive on Villers- Bretonneux on 4 April.  Oscar suffered injuries once again on the 23rd of August and was sent back to Australia due to debility.[v] Before Oscar returned to Australia, he attended a wedding as the best man on April 26th, 1918 of a fellow Lieutenant A. W. Ray.[vi]

Oscar arrived back at Australia on the 4th of December 1918. His contributions to the army had earned him a British war medal and a Victory Medal.[vii] In the years following the war he worked as a salesman and in 1925 Oscar was involved in a criminal use of funds. Oscar had been under the employment of an insurance company. The company had sent him to Cairns, and after doing business, between September 1 and December 31, he collected sums of money amounting to £162.However, this money had been hidden from his employers, and he disappeared to Sydney. However, he was later arrested and returned to Brisbane. [viii]

At court Oscar explained that the start of the mess had begun with an injured foot, which he had got at Cairns, and it prevented him from working for some time. His wife and family who were in Sydney had been requesting money, which he sent, thinking he could later square accounts. Misfortune continued to follow him, and he went to Sydney in the hope of collecting money which was owing to him in order to straighten the matter out. Oscar said that there was no criminal intention on his part and he was willing to make restitution of the amount involved. The representative of the Insurance company Mr. Power said that, “if it had not been for a series of adverse circumstances, the defendant would not have been in his present position. He had previously worked well in the company's interests.” The court ordered the defendant to make restitution at the rate of £10 per month, but in default six months imprisonment with hard labor.

Oscar Charles Kellner passed away on the 13th of November 1976 at Lady Davidson Hospital, Turramurra.

Daniel Nemani

Sydney Technical High School

Bibliography

Google Docs. 2018. ‘STHS Honour Roll Veterans list ‘. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lZovzk9xhs7uPk-WE7SX8TRFOqXLDNHwWvF_kRY89sk/edit#gid=0 . [Accessed 28 July 2018].

Google Docs. 2018. ‘THS 1912 Class 1C Final Term.jpg’. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bpWeHRv3ANQVqmOjFnSZ6aDgfsKLIRBR/view. [Accessed 29 July 2018].

Details. 2018. ‘Details’. https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=161062. [Accessed 30 July 2018].

‘Australian Military History: An overview’ The Australian War Memorial. 2018.  https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/first-world-war-flying. [Accessed 31 July 2018].

‘Doing our bit, Mosman 1914-1918 -- Oscar Charles Kellner’. 2018. 

http://mosman1914-1918.net/people/7519.html/. [Accessed 31 July  2018].

Google Docs. 2018. ‘1925 given a chance.pdf’ https://drive.google.com/file/d/16WiMuPPdBtLu0XmFwK4NIJZhwkHS-398/view  [Accessed 02 August 2018].

Trove. 2018. 04 Jul 1918 – ‘Family Notices’ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/146591859. [Accessed 31 July 2018].

Trove. 2018. 19 Jan 1925 – ‘BEFORE THE MAGISTRATES’ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/20894542. [Accessed 01 August 2018].

‘34th Australian Infantry Battalion’ | The Australian War Memorial. 2018.  https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51474. [Accessed 01 August 2018].

[i] ‘Doing our bit, Mosman 1914-1918 -- Oscar Charles Kellner’. 2018. 

http://mosman1914-1918.net/people/7519.html/. [Accessed 31 July  2018].

 
[ii] Google Docs. 2018. ‘THS 1912 Class 1C Final Term.jpg’ Google Drive. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bpWeHRv3ANQVqmOjFnSZ6aDgfsKLIRBR/view. [Accessed 29 July 2018].

 
[iii] ‘34th Australian Infantry Battalion’ | The Australian War Memorial. 2018.  https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51474. [Accessed 01 August 2018].

 
[iv] ibid
[v] Ibid

 
[vi] Trove. 2018. 04 Jul 1918 – ‘Family Notices’ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/146591859. [Accessed 31 July 2018].

 
[vii] Details. 2018. ‘Details’. https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=161062. [Accessed 30 July 2018].

 
[viii] Trove. 2018. 19 Jan 1925 – ‘BEFORE THE MAGISTRATES’ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/20894542. [Accessed 01 August 2018].