Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Charles Missen Stokes Russell – Service no. 3417

One of the many young men who enlisted in World War I was Russell Charles Missen Stokes, a former student of Sydney Technical High School. His life both prewar and postwar is the life of an average Australian who had shown courage, commitment and loyalty towards his nation. 

Russell Stokes was born in 1897, to Frederick William Stokes and Catherine Lucy Harriet Mould in Hornsby, New South Wales. He was born in a family of great size, and had siblings Bruce Federick William Stokes, Reginald Bryant Missen Stokes (born 1899), Bernice Lucy Missen Stokes (born 1903), Walter E. M. Stokes (born 1908), and Alan Alfred Missen Stokes (born 1913). Russell went to Sydney Technical High School in 1912 and 1913 and this was a family tradition since his father and brothers had attended the school. He was employed as a junior clerk in a railway station before joining the army, giving him prior work experience and responsibility. His upbringing in an encouraging family and the activities he took part in at school must have served to create this sense of responsibility and readiness to face what he would be involved in during the war. He was a part of the Church of England keeping with the general values of his society.

On 23 July 1915 Russell joined the Australian Imperial Force as a private, in the 2nd Battalion, 11th reinforcement, and served with the number 3417. On 2 November 1915 he departed Australia on HMAT Euripides (A14) at a time when ANZAC troops on Gallipoli were about to withdraw. On landing, he and his reinforcements were stationed in Egypt to be trained, rested, and reorganised, and then to join the main battalion on the Western Front.

The service in the 2nd Battalion has seen Russell participate in some of the major campaigns. The battalion went to the Western Front in March 1916 and he attended Lewis Machine Bun school 6-30 June 1916 and it is likely he fought in the Battke of Pozieres in July to August 1916 which was to capture the village and high ground as part of the Somme offensive. This was a very expensive battle, as more than 23,000 Australians died and almost another 6,800 injured, showing just how much the war cost the Australian soldiers such as Russell. He was also in action during the Bullecourt offensive in April to May 1917 that was aimed against the German Hindenburg Line. The second attack was partially successful but the battalion had more than 10,000 deaths. He would subsequently have fought the Third Battle of Ypres or Passchendaele, in September to November 1917. Infamous about the conditions were waterlogged trenches and mud which led to the death of about 38,000 people in eight weeks. Russell was tough in spite of these setbacks, returning to his battalion severally after bouts of illness. He was hospitalized a few times, on 2 December 1916, 27 June 1917, and 1 August 1917, which testifies to physical and emotional exhaustion of wartime. Russell participated in the Allied attack of Amiens, Mont St Quentin and the Hindenburg Line in 1918. Such activities helped in the eventual withdrawal of the German troops. Fortunately, he did not get any battle wounds or captivity experiences of the war. It was on 1 April 1919 that Russell eventually got back to Australia, after leaving the hospital and convalescent care. His perseverance despite being sick and the hard campaigns that he constantly had to go through all reflect the ANZAC spirit of survival, valor and devotion to his mates and his nation.

Russell came back to civilian life after coming back to Australia. He married Isabel Maude (Bell) Randell in the year 1924 of Coolamon, New South Wales. By 1930, his post war life had involved living in Hornsby and Parramatta, both in New South Wales. Russell lived long enough to see some of his immediate family members' deaths such as his mother Catherine Lucy Harriet Mould and his father Frederick William Stokes who died on 27 June 1940 and 16 September 1946 respectively. Russell was also bereaved with the deaths of his siblings over the years: Bruce Frederick William Stokes (1964), Reginald Bryant Missen Stokes (1966) and Alan Alfred Missen Stokes (1970). He lived a very long life, dying on 27 August 1982 at the age of 85 years old.

His mother wrote letters which give a hint about the worry and love that his family was concerned about during the war. She wrote in one of her letters to ask whether he was okay, as she was anxious about the way families were anxious when their sons were overseas. These personal records show the human aspect of war and the value of family relations in helping to keep morale.

The life of Russell Charles Missen Stokes is the window to the life of a World War I veteran of the Sydney Tech old boy. Russell was a vivid example of the concept of loyalty, resilience and duty that are embodied by the ANZAC spirit since his early years in Hornsby and then his service on the Western Front, and finally his life in New South Wales after the war. His story acts as the prompt to the memory of the sacrifices made by the common Australians under extraordinary conditions so that the legacy of service and courage could be kept and remembered.

Bibliography

Ken Stevenson, Research on Google Drive
Virtual War Memorial https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/231799https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/231799 
National Archives https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8092469Australia:https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8092469 
Google Drive Folder: https://tinyurl.com/3btf8nkv
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Battalion_(Australia)
ANZAC Portal: https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1
State Library NSW: https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/research-and-collections/significant-collections/wwi