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From: In Remembrance: Hungerford and Associated Families in the Great War 1914-1918

LCpl Charles Hume GILLHAM
Regimental Number: 866
Unit Name: 6th Light Horse Regiment, 4th Reinforcement

Religion: Church of England
Occupation: Surveyor's Assistant
Address: c/- C.S. Gillham, 'Coonong', Highfield Street, Mayfield, NSW
Age of Enlistment: 20 years and 7 months
Enlistment Date and Place: 31 December 1914
Next of Kin: C. S. Gillham, Government Savings Bank, Newcastle, NSW
Rank on Enlistment: Private
Embarkation Details: Unit embarked from Sydney, NSW, on board HMAT A9 Shropshire on
17 March 1915
Rank from Nominal Roll: Lance Corporal
Unit from Nominal Roll: 6th Light Horse Regiment
Campaigns Served: Gallipoli, Turkey; Egypt
War Service/Promotions: Joined and taken on strength ex Maadi, Egypt 'C' Squadron, to Anzac Cove, 13 July 1915. Appointed temporary Lance Corporal, Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, 30 November 1915. Disembarked at Alexandria, Egypt, from HMT Beltana on 25 December 1915. Sick to hospital and reverts to Trooper, Maadi, Egypt, 2 February 1916 and admitted to No 4 Auxiliary Hospital, Cairo, with mumps, the same day. Taken on strength 1 March 1916, 2nd Res. Regiment, Maadi, but back to hospital at Abbassia, Egypt, 7 March 1916, then transferred to Ras-el-Tin Hospital, Alexandria, Egypt, on 14 March 1916. Rejoined unit ex hospital, Tel-el-Kebir on 20 May 1916. On 22 July 1916 transferred to 6th Light Horse Regiment at Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt, and taken on strength the next day. He stayed in Egypt and the next year on 25 April 1916 was with Regt., 'C' Squadron at El Fukhari. On 6 July 1917, he was sent to School of Instruction (Hotchkiss Course 'A'), Zeitoun, Egypt, and passed as Gunner, rejoining his regiment on 18 June 1917. On 1 December 1917 he was to be Lance Corporal to complete establishment, Esdud, Palestine. Temporary Corporal 3 January 1918. He was wounded in action, 27 March 1918, with a gunshot wound to his neck and shoulder, transferred to 43rd Stationary Hospital on 2 April 1918, eventually ending up at 14 Australian General Hospital, Port Said, Egypt. He was transferred to Suez for embarkation to Australia on 11 July 1918.
Place of Wounding: Gunshot wound, left shoulder and neck, 2 April 1918, admitted to 43rd Stationary Hospital, Egypt.
Fate: Returned to Australia per HMAT Port Darwin, 12 July 1918. He married Helen Heather Hungerford, 16 February 1926, Parramatta, NSW.
Place of Death: 5 October 1972, Avalon, NSW
Place of Cremation: He was cremated at Northern Suburbs Crematorium, North Ryde, NSW, and his ashes scattered on Pittwater.
Medals/Citations: 1914/15 Star; British War Medal; Victory Medal

Part of a Letter from Hume dated 14 April 1918.


'My dear Mother,
I suppose you will be chiefly interested to know that I am O.K. They nipped the bullet out of my neck last week, and the wound has practically healed up by now, though I have not yet recovered the use of my arm. At this date it is perhaps permissible to give you some idea of our last stunt, from the time we left our winter camp near Jaffa. The first day's journey took us as far as Latrum, where the metal road to Jerusalem first enters the hills. We stayed there three days, and the last two of which we spent in a particular state of liquid mud..........
The rain stopped toward evening, though it was still misty. However we were in for another mud floundering, all night march, though it was not necessary to walk as on the previous night, except to restore circulation. On those occasions a man ran a risk of losing his boots by getting into a particularly vicious patch of bog......
We remained in camp all that day, and formed an outpost line at night. The next morning we moved out with the object of entering Amman, and blowing up the bridge and sundry miles of railway line. The ground was still very sodden and spongy so that the going was heavy. After a couple of miles we came under Jack’s shell fire, but he did no good with it. About one o'clock we got into action properly. Our squadron was in a bad position. Most of the machine guns in the world seemed to be concentrated on our little bit of ground. It did not last long. I thought some one had hit me with a sledge hammer. It is astonishing how hard a bullet does hit. I got back all right and for the next nine days was travelling more or less, until eventually I came to rest here. The stunt lasted for three days after I was hors de combat, and what matters, the objective was attained! Give my love to all at home. I hope to have some snaps of Jerusalem ready soon.
Your loving son, Hume Gillham.'