AH TUCK, Charles
| Service Number: | 1747 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 30 December 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Perth, Western Australia, August 1890 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Gallipoli, 11 August 1915 |
| Cemetery: |
Embarkation Pier Cemetery, Gallipoli.Turkey |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 30 Dec 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1747, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Apr 1915: | Involvement Private, 1747, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Lincoln embarkation_ship_number: A17 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Apr 1915: | Embarked Private, 1747, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Port Lincoln, Adelaide | |
| 11 Aug 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1747, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), ANZAC / Gallipoli |
Help us honour Charles Ah Tuck's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Peter Rankin
He served under the alias Charles Tucker
Biography contributed by Charles Campbell College
Life Before the War
Charles Tucker was a naturalised British subject, born August 1890. His real name was Charles Ah Tuck, but he used the alias Tucker to enlist in the military. His place of birth was Perth, WA, however his brother stated that he was born in Mudgee, NSW.
Prior to his enlistment he worked as a labourer, and he had no previous experience in the military. His mother, M. Tucker, was listed as his next of kin as he did not marry.
Life in Service
Tucker joined the military on 30th of December 1914, but he took the enlistment oath on 31st of December 1914 in Oaklands, SA. He embarked from Adelaide on the ship HMAT Port Lincoln A17, on 1st of April 1915.
He was not moved to another unit, but the commandment of the unit was. His unit was initially part of the 1st Division and while in combat in Gallipoli, they were put under the command of the New Zealand Australia Brigade headed by General Godley. In August, the 4th Brigade was tasked with attacking Hill 971 located at the top of the Sari Bair Range. This was a crucial task as, if successful, would have won the battle. However, they failed and became lost in the rough terrain at night with no proper equipment or navigation aid, leading the campaign to a stalemate. It is in this battle that he was wounded and later passed away in Gallipoli, Dardanelles, Turkey on 11th of August 1915.
After the war
After his death, his younger brother, Herbert Ah Tuck, wrote a letter to a major about his blood relations to clear up who his next of kin was. Charles Tucker was the third child of Mr. Tucker and Ms. Tucker. He had three other siblings. William, his eldest brother, divorced soon after Herbert was born and his two elder brothers followed his father while he and Herbert stayed with their mother.
His brother, Herbert, in the same letter, wrote that he was away from home in Broken Hill for many years before going to Adelaide to enlist in the military. Though the letter was written to give a clear understanding on Tucker’s next of kin, his mother had passed in November of 1916, so it was then unclear who would receive his medals, other memorabilia or personal belongings.