Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Charles Alfred (Abe) Skelly, the third child of John Skelly and Caroline Wade was born at Cowra, New South Wales about 1876.  As with some of his brothers his birth was never registered.  Abe's mother Caoline Wade (real name Wedge) was the daughter of Edward (Ned) Wedge and an aboriginal woman.  Initially Abe was the second of four Skelly brothers to join the AIF enlisting during a Route March through Yass.  Abe at the time was working as a labourer in Binalong, enlisting 14 December 1915 Abe gave his age as 36 years and 6 months stating his name was Alfred Skelly.  Abe's next of kin was his half sister, Catherine Ann Byrum, Brisbane Street Dubbo, his complexion was dark, hazel eyes and black hair with some grey, his height was given as 5 feet and 11 1/4 inches. 

19 December 1915 Abe was attached to 'B' Company, 47th Battalion but while still at the Goulburn Depot a notation was placed on his file dated 10 January 1916; 'unlikely to become an efficient soldier'.  Although no offical record of any discharge exists it is believed that Abe returned to Dubbo as a civilian.  After the enlistment of two of his younger brothers, Sydney Joseph (Brickey) and Thomas (Tom) , Abe must have felt the need to do the right thing and try to enlist again. 

In March 1916 Abe was finally accepted by the AIF, again giving his sister as his next of kin, his name was initially given as Arthur, however this was crossed out and Charles Alfred written down instead.  Abe was to be attached to the 4th refinforcement of the 54th Battalion, the same battalion as his younger brother Tom.  Abe left Sydney aboard the HMAT Boorara on 19 August 1916.

Abe must have found it difficult to accept the fact that he was now on his way overseas to fight as on 16 September he failed to re-embark after leave in Capetown, South Africa and was listed AWL on 20 September, the very next day, 21 September, the Boorara left Capetown without him.  Abe was located and on the 21 September charged with three offences, the first 'being in South Aftrica when he should not have been', the second, 'breaking regulations' and the third 'drunkenness' for all three offences he was given 7 days detention and was placed onboard Itria on 26 September, 1916 for the rest of the journey to England.  While training in England, Abe was to again be charged AWL on 4 November, 1916, this time his punishment was 10 days pay. 

After training in England Abe proceeded overseas to France leaving the English port of Folkestone in Kent 14 December 1916 and was sent directly to the Western Front to join Tom, his younger brother.  Shortly after his arrival to the trenches both Abe and Tom were given the news that their brother, Brickey had been killed in action on 5 January 1917 in Montauban, France.

Abe was to survive the freezing winter manning the trenches in the Somme Valley under conditions that would test even the strongest man.  The battalion during March was involved in the occupation of Bapaume; the end of March the 14th Brigade including the 54th Battalion moved down to the Doignies and Louveral region still without any rest.  End of April, 1917 the whole 5th Division was finally sent to Albert for some well earned rest and while there Abe and Tom met up an old friend from Dubbo, Private L Simmons who wrote to Mr Fred Barr back in Dubbo; Private Simons' letter was printed in the Dubbo Liberal on 11 May 1917 where he stated that Tom and Abe were both well and had just come out of the front trenches. 

Their leave was not to last as on 8 May 1917 the 5th Division was called back from Albert with the 14th Brigade going straight into the front line at Bullecourt and the Hindenburg Line.  From the early morning of the 14 May when the relief of the 53rd by the 54th Battalion was much hampered by a German bombardment, the enemy shell-fire on the fronts of the 5th Australian and 58th British Divisions continued all day.  During the afternoon parties of Germans were seen moving up from the back areas between Riencourt and Hendecourt, they were shelled by the British artillery.  The bombardment of the front line by the enemy eased after dusk, but the villages in the rear and the valleys sheltering the artillery, were now systematically shelled with gas.

At 1.00am on 15 May 1917 there again descended on the extreme right flank of the Australians in the Hindenburg Line and upon that line for 250 yards west of it, an intense fire from German heavy and light trench-mortars, causing many casualties and wrecking the trenches, especially the northern end of cross-trench "F".  At 2.45am the German artillery of various calibers joined in, extending its shell-fire over the whole Bullecourt-Riencourt front.  The enemy's machine-guns also were firing, the bombardment which thus culminated being the heaviest that the troops of the 5th Devision had yet experienced.

At 4.15am Major Lecky of the 54th Battalion, commanding in the front line, sent a message to Lieutenant-Colonel Midgley stating that the German had attacked all along the line and that on the right flank the situation was doubtful, the right company having been 'wiped out' by the previous bombardment.  The 56th and a company of the 55th Battalion was ordered up and reached the front.  The German attack had been repelled with insignificant loss, but the previous bombardment had cause severe casualties, amounting to 400 in the 14th Brigade, of these, the 54th Battalion lost 4 officers and 282 other ranks.

During the early morning bombardment Abe was severely wounded in the left arm, thigh and leg and was eventually shipped back to England and admitted to hospital 22 May 1917 in Bristol.  Abe was to spend many months in hospital recovering from his injuries by the September was stationed a Weymouth.  Weymouth was a camp in England where soldiers recuperated but if their injuries prevent them from returning to the front within six months they were to return to Australia.  Abe, while at Weymouth was again on 15 September 1917 AWL from Tattoo and was apprehended at 12.15am the next morning.

5 November, 1917 Abe returned to Australia and was finally discharged on 8 April 1918.  He moved back to Dubbo to his sister, Catherine.  The Dubbo Liberal reported 15 January 1918 that 'Private Abe Skelly, after a long spell in the trenches, fighting the unspeakable German, has been invalided home.  He bears the marks of many wounds received in the great cause of Freedom and Liberty.'  Sadly many of Abe's wounds were not visible, after receiving the news of the death of his brother, Tom, in September 1918 Abe was not only crippled from the injuries but as his sister, Catherine, stated in letters to the Army he was also affected in the mind.

After his sister's death in July 1919 Abe returned to Nyngan where his father had died in 1890.  Abe never married and died at Nyngan in 1929, he was buried in the local cemetery but even after recent extensive searching his grave has never been located.

Submitted by Patricia Kennedy