Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Charles was the son of Richard Dewsnap WEBB & Rosa STACEY and was born on the 5th of January 1874 in Bowden, SA.

His parents were married on the 8th of April 1872 in St Mark’s Church, Penwortham, SA.

His father was the son of George Hutton WEBB & Matilda Josephine DEWSNAP and was born on the 24th of February 1844 in West Hackney, Middlesex, England.
His mother was the daughter of Charles STACEY & Sarah PELLING and was born on the 5th of November 1854 in Reedbeds, SA.

Charles was the third child born into the family of 8 children.

His father was a seaman and had immigrated to South Australia on board the Algernon on the 8th of July 1865.

Not long after Charles was born the family moved to Brompton where his father was employed as a labourer.
By 1877 they had moved to Riverton as his father had gained employment as a railway ganger.

After a few years in Riverton they moved to Thebarton and his father was labouring again.
When Charles was 12 years old his father deserted the family on the 16th of April 1884.
He wrote to Charles’s mother once, and at that time he was living in Lillydale, Victoria and said he intended to seek work on the new tram lines in Melbourne, but they never heard of him after October 1885.

After completing his schooling Charles gained employment as a brick maker.

Charles married Louisa SWAIN on the 26th of June 1899 at the residence of Reverend J. J. Darwin, North Adelaide, SA.
Louisa was the daughter of Samuel WRIGHT & Mary Ann FILER and was born on the 28th of August 1871 in Nailsea, Somerset, England.
Louisa was previously married to Walter SWAIN on the 17th of January 1895 and they had a son who died at 9 months of age.

They made their home at 27 Second Street, Brompton and welcomed their first child; Richard James, on the 30th of January 1900.
Myrtle Winifred was born on the 25th of February 1902, followed by Elizabeth May on the 6th of April 1904.

Frank Manuel Joseph was then born on the 14th of November 1909, followed by their last child; Leonard Samuel on the 18th of June 1913.
Charles joined the Militia in 1913.

At the age of 42, Charles enlisted into the AIF on the 11th of March 1916 in Adelaide and was allotted the service number 2495 and posted to B Company, 2nd Depot Battalion in Mitcham Camp.
He was then posted to the 50th Battalion, 2nd Reinforcements and later the 50th Battalion, 5th Reinforcements.

Charles embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A73 Commonwealth on the 21st of September 1916 and disembarked in Plymouth on the 14th of November and marched into the 13th Training Battalion in Codford.
He was hospitalised with the Mumps and proceeded to France on the 6th of August 1917 and was later transferred to the 4th Division Salvage Company.

He spent nearly 2 years in France before embarking from England on the 13th of July 1919 on board HMAT Persic.
He disembarked in Adelaide on the 27th of August and was discharged from the AIF on the 11th of October 1919.

Charles regained his employment as a brick maker and by 1925 they were living at 1 Mann Street, Brompton and Charles joined the Hindmarsh RSL.
They later moved back to 27 Second Street, Brompton and Charles was the Secretary of the Brick, Tile and Pottery Section of the Australian Workers Union.

With the outbreak of WW2 their son Frank enlisted into the 7th Supply Personnel Company AASC on the 6th of July 1940 (S28701).

Charles was admitted into the Royal Adelaide Hospital on the 31st of January 1946.

Charles died 5 days later, on the 5th of February 1946 in the Royal Adelaide Hospital and was buried the following day in the Hindmarsh Cemetery; Section Upper K40.

WEBB.—On February 5, at hospital, Charles Joseph Webb, of 27 Second St, Brompton, dearly beloved husband of Louisa and loving father of Dick, Myrtle
(Mrs Ghelkin), May (Mrs. Kinlough), Frank and Len, aged 72 years.

HINDMARSH Sub-Branch. R.S.S. and A.I. League of Australia — Members attending the funeral of our late comrade Charles J. Webb, late of 27 Second St, Brompton are respectfully requested to assemble at the entrance to the Hindmarsh Cemetery on Wednesday, at 4.10p.m. C. J. Maguire President, R. R. Cox. Hon. Secretary.

U.A.O.D., Peace Lodge No. 3.—Members are respectfully informed that the funeral of our late P.A. Bro. Charles J. Webb will leave his late residence, 27 Second Street, Brompton, on Wednesday, at 4 p.m., for the Hindmarsh Cemetery.
W. J. South, Secretary.

MEMBERS of Brick, Tile and Pottery Section of A.W.U. are respectfully requested to attend the funeral of their late Secretary, Mr. C. Webb, at the Hindmarsh Cemetery at 4 p.m.

Louisa died on the 10th of February 1948 in the Royal Adelaide Hospital and was buried 2 days later in the Hindmarsh Cemetery; Section Upper K40, with Charles.

Military

At the age of 42, Charles enlisted into the AIF on the 11th of March 1916 in Adelaide and was allotted the service number 2495 and posted to B Company, 2nd Depot Battalion in Mitcham Camp.
He listed his wife, of 27 Second Street, Brompton, as his next of kin.

On the 1st of April he was posted to the 50th Battalion, 2nd Reinforcements and on the 16th of August he was posted to the 50th Battalion, 5th Reinforcements.

Charles embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A73 Commonwealth on the 21st of September 1916 and disembarked in Plymouth on the 14th of November and marched into the 13th Training Battalion in Codford.

On the 19th of December he suffered with Mumps and was admitted into the group isolation hospital, where he spent Christmas 1916.
Charles must have been very unwell as he remained in hospital until the 19th of April, when he rejoined the Training Battalion.
He then spent nearly 4 months here in training before he proceeded to France on the 6th of August 1917 and marched into the 4th ADBD (Australian Division Base Depot) in Le Havre.

Charles was taken on strength with the 50th Battalion on the 7th of September at Lugy and spent the next 2 weeks in Platoon attack training.
On the 20th they embussed to Steenvoorde and the following day they continued to 2 miles west of Ypres, where they bivouacked before marching through Ypres to Westhoek Ridge to relieve the 52nd Battalion.

At 5:50am on the 26th of September, they attacked Polygon Wood and after 2 days they were relieved and moved to the rear of Westhoek Ridge and were engaged in road works.
On the 30th they moved into Halifax Camp, near Dickebusch and then onto Steenvorde. On the 10th of October they marched to Abeele, entrained to Ypres and moved into the front line at Broodseinde Ridge.

After 12 days they marched to Cornwall Camp, near Ouderdom for 5 days before entraining to Brandhoek and marching to billets in Lugy.

November was spent in training and at billets in Laires, Ruisseauville, Wambercourt, Tortefontaine, Fontaine-sur-Maye, Hautvillers, Franleu before reaching Meneslies at the end of November.

They then moved onto Moislains where they spent Christmas 1917 before they moved to Peronne, entrained to Bailleul and marched to Strazeele. From Strazeele they entrained to Elzenwalle and marched into Tournai Camp.
They then entrained from Gordon on the 19th of January 1918, detrained at Manor Farm and relieved the 47th Battalion in the front line.

After 10 days at the front they moved back to the support lines where they were engaged in improving and wiring the support lines before moving by light rail to Ridgewood Camp on the 8th of February.
On the 12th of February Charles was transferred to the 4th Division Salvage Company at Voormezele.
The Salvage Companies role was to recover equipment from the battlefield, thus reducing waste and saving valuable shipping space.

They remained in this area until the end of March when they moved to Kent Camp, near Neuve Eglise for a rest.
On the 5th of April they entrained to Ameins and the following day they moved by motor lorry to Beaucourt. Four days later they moved to Allonville and then to Corbie on the 12th to continue salvage operations and working in the woollen factory, packing woollen goods.

On the 1st of May they moved to Camon and established a dump where they received and packed salvage brought down from the forward area.
In mid May they moved to Rivery and on the 2nd of June they moved to Daouts where they were engaged in boring and bogging shell cases brought in by the batteries.

In mid July they moved back to billets at Rivery for a rest before moving 4 miles to new billets at Poulainville. Here they were engaged in cleaning and stacking up salvage along the railhead before they moved back to billets at Rivery for a rest.

On the 11th of August Charles was granted 2 weeks leave to England and when he rejoined his Company they were at Hamel Wood collecting salvage and carting it to Corbie dump.
They moved to Cappy on the 7th of September and collected salvage and moved it to Bray before moving 31 miles to Fourdrinoy on the 1st of October, for a rest.
After a short rest they continued salvage in this area and they were still here on the 11th of November when the Armistice was signed and the guns fell silent.

Three days later they moved 10 miles to Saleux and entrained to Epehy the following day. They then marched to Roidel and entrained to Fresnoy-le-Grand where they went into training with gas masks and rifle drill.
By the end of November they had moved through Le Soupley and Prisches to Sains-du-Nord where they salvaged enemy material in the village.
Charles was then detached to the 7th Company AASC on the 7th of December for 5 days and 2 days after he rejoined his Company they moved to Sivry-Rance, Belgium.
The following day they moved through Walcourt to Philippeville, before moving 18 miles to Dinant of the 22nd of December.
Christmas 1918 was spent here and in January a few men marched out for demobilisation.

February was spent in the heavy snow moving salvage to Neffe Siding dump and March and April was spent at Florrennes and Namur, collecting salvage.
The men of the Company slowly started to return to Australia and on the 4th of June, Charles and the remaining other 4 men embarked for England.

The following day they marched into No.1 Group in Longbridge Deverill awaiting their embarkation home.

Charles embarked from England on the 13th of July 1919 on board HMAT Persic and disembarked in Adelaide on the 27th of August.

He was discharged from the AIF on the 11th of October 1919 and awarded the British War and Victory Medals.