Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

By way of postscript to my previous entry, I believe that Charles Bean may have described the fighting at the First Battle of Bretonneux as 'intense' not 'fierce'. It has been several years since I looked at the diaries of the 36th held in the archives and read the section on the battle that Bean recounts in his Official History of WW1 (of which I don't presently have a copy). Whether the description is derived from the diaries or it is Bean applying his interpretation of events is something of which I cannot be sure, without revisiting these sources. However, both the diaries as a primary source and the Official History make rewarding reading.

Private Charles Locke was my Maternal Great Uncle, born Liverpool New South Wales in 1887 to Charles and Sarah Locke (nee Brown). He was the eldest of seven children, second generation Australians.

National Archives of Australia (NAA) records show that in 1916 he enlisted with the AIF at Casula, just a short distance from his birthplace. His occupation has been shown as Labourer and Wool Classer in some official records. He may have worked at the Wool Wash facility on the banks of the Georges River at Liverpool before enlisting.

NAA records indicate he was wounded probably in the Battle of Ypres, Belgium. He recovered and was also to endure a bout of influenza. In late March 1918, Charles had just returned from leave in England and rejoined his unit (Company A, 36th Battalion, Third Division AIF) to face the onslaught of the German Forces' Spring Offensive on the Western Front. He fought in what was known as the First Battle of Villers Bretonneux.

Charles was killed in action while the 36th was counter attacking the German forces in early April 1918. Although the 2nd Battle of Villers Bretonneux in late April 1918 (when the Australians recaptured the town from the German forces on Anzac Day) seems to have more historical significance than the First Battle, the Australians and British allies were able to repel the Germans in the earlier battle. According to some historical accounts, this may have impacted the enemy's ability to advance further to nearby Amiens. Charles Bean in his Official History described the fighting at the First Battle of Villers Bretonneux as 'fierce'. According to Red Cross records, Charles was killed during the allied counter attack while trying to assist a wounded comrade. Red Cross records also note that the fallen were buried close to where they died. The 36th Battalion was eventually disbanded though loss of numbers with surviving men transferring to other Battalions.

On a domestic note, Charles married Ada Pincham in Sydney in 1913 and they had two children, Mavis and Edna. Sadly, Mavis died in infancy. Edna, born 1915, was probably too young to remember her father but grew to adulthood, married and raised a daughter. Charles's widow, Ada Locke, never remarried after her husband's death in 1918 and she died in Sydney in 1959 age 66. She was cremated at Rookwood Crematorium. Charles was 31 years of age when he died in battle. Correspondence on the NAA file provides some insight into the anxieties of his family at home during the conflict on the Western Front.

There may be descendants of Charles and Ada Locke still living today whose curiosity, interest and pride might be sparked if by chance they come upon this brief account of their ancestor who paid the supreme sacrifice.

Paul Smith