Charles BUCKLEY

BUCKLEY, Charles

Service Number: 6042
Enlisted: Not yet discovered
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 27th Infantry Battalion
Born: Melbourne, Victoria, 1875
Home Town: Adelaide, South Australia
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Horse Driver
Died: Killed in Action, France, 21 April 1917
Cemetery: Noreuil Australian Cemetery
Row F, Grave 45
Memorials: Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour
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World War 1 Service

6 Nov 1916: Involvement Private, 6042, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: ''
6 Nov 1916: Embarked Private, 6042, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Adelaide
9 Jan 1917: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 6042, 27th Infantry Battalion, Disembarked in Plymouth for training
21 Apr 1917: Wounded 6042, 27th Infantry Battalion, Killed in action, Etaples, France
11 Nov 1918: Involvement Private, 6042

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Biography contributed by Glenunga International High School

World War 1 was a worldwide war originating in Europe that started on the 28th of July 1914 and went on the 11th of November 1918.  During this time there were 2 alliances formed by the six major powers of Europe which separated Europe into 2 sections. The first one is The Triple Entente. This alliance involved the Russian Empire, The French Third Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The second alliance was The Triple Alliance, which was a secret agreement in between Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary. These 2 alliances formed the 2 warring sides in the war, but there were other countries which were called to help the major powers. Australia being one of them. In the war, there were over 38 million casualties with over 17 million of them being deaths and around 20 people wounded.

Charles Buckley was born in Melbourne, Australia in around 1874.  He then moved to Adelaide at a young age and lived in Prospect very close to the main city centre. He had a wife Christina M Buckley who was his next of kin, but no children that were known of. He went into the military having no experience and that is why he went to England to train before he went to war in France. Before his enlistment in the army he worked as a horse driver throughout Adelaide.  As his general job that may be why he was chosen to be a driver in the war. He had no military involvement and had never been an apprentice of any sorts.  

Charles enlisted in Adelaide on the 19th of September 1916. One and a bit months later, on the 7th of November, Charles embarked from Adelaide to Plymouth, which is in the UK. He trained in England for a little while but it is not known for how long. In Fargo he got sick and then got admitted to Fargo Hospital on the 1st of February 1917, and discharged on the 13th of March, so he was in there for over a month. It is not known what he was in there for but it must have been reasonably bad to be in there for that long. After he was discharged he proceeded to France on the 5th of April. He proceeded to join his unit on the 8th in Etaples as a labourer in driving as that's what he did at home in Australia so he had experience. He was in the 27th Battalion. Unfortunately 13 days after he joined the unit, on the 21st of April he was killed in action. It is unknown how he died but he did not return home to Australia. He was the age of 42 when he died.

After Charles died the war still went on for another year. After the war was over he was buried in a cemetery near Noreuil which was a village 10 kms away from Bapaume which is in France. In Noreuil the cemetery was for the Australian soldiers to be buried. He was buried in row C, grave 1. Christina Buckley (Charles’ wife) had been trying to talk to someone about getting any information on Charles’ death but all they had was the date. She sent many letters asking if they had any belongings they could send to her for memories but they didn't have anything besides a medal he had received.

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Biography

7 September 1901 married Christina Paul in the Church of Christ, North Adelaide

Medals British War Medal, Victory Medal