WELLS, Herbert Charles
| Service Number: | 1337 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 February 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 19th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Coolah, New South Wales, Australia, July 1893 |
| Home Town: | Narrabri West, Narrabri, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Cardiff, New South Wales, Australia, 21 August 1941, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Sandgate General Cemetery, Newcastle, NSW ANGLICAN 3-159. 18 |
| Memorials: | Narrabri West & District Railway Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Feb 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1337, 19th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 1337, 19th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 1337, 19th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Melbourne | |
| 2 Sep 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 19th Infantry Battalion | |
| 16 Nov 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 1337, 19th Infantry Battalion, GSW in right buttock | |
| 28 Apr 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 19th Infantry Battalion | |
| 11 Aug 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 19th Infantry Battalion | |
| 26 Apr 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Sergeant, 1337, 19th Infantry Battalion, German Spring Offensive 1918, Gassed | |
| 11 Dec 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Sergeant, 1337, 19th Infantry Battalion |
Herbert Charles Wells
Herbert (Bert) was my grandfather but he passed away in 1941 before my birth. Herbert was the son of David Wells and Elizabeth (Betsy) Hannah. Bert enlisted and went overseas and served in Gallipoli and France. His three brothers also enlisted and fought in Belgium and France. His two youngest brothers David John and Reuben both died and are buried in Belgium. His oldest brother survived and returned to Australia. Bert married Anna Beatrice Hughes and went on to have six children, my father being one of them. He had ill health for many years due to Mustard Gassing and passed away in 1941.
Submitted 21 July 2017 by Janice Battle
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
From Gary Mitchell, Sandgate Cemetery
Served and suffered during The Great War, resting at Sandgate Cemetery.
79 years ago today, on the Saturday afternoon of the 23rd August 1941 (5 funerals on this day), Sergeant Herbert Charles Wells, also known as Bert, 19th Battalion, labourer (Narrabri West Railway Employee), of West Narrabri, New South Wales and Main Road, Cardiff, N.S.W., was laid to rest at Sandgate Cemetery, age 48. ANGLICAN 3-159. 18.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article139411315 - funeral notice does not state service.
Born at Coolah, New South Wales July 1893 to David and Betsy Wells; husband of Anna B Wells nee Hughes (married 1920, died?), Herbert enlisted February 1915 at Liverpool, N.S.W.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article183278729
Wounded in action - 14.11.1916 (GSW right buttock), 26.4.1918 (gassed), Herbert returned home November 1918, having applied for a discharge 5.3.1918, approval given 12.6.1918 to return home for family reasons – see documents). Discharged 11th December 1918.
Mr Wells’s name has been inscribed on the Narrabri West War Memorial, Narrabri West Railway Honour Roll (photo) and The Capt. Clarence Smith Jeffries (V.C.) and Pte. William Matthew Currey (V.C.) Memorial Wall.
Plaque in New South Wales Garden of Remembrance.
There is no indication on Herbert’s headstone to tell us of his service with the 1st A.I.F., so I have placed poppies and a 1914-1918 WAR label, kindly supplied by Andrea Gerrard and John Thomas, to honour his duty for God, King and Country.
Older brother David John (Reg No-2147, 33rd Battalion, born 1886, Died of Illness (pneumonia), 3.12.1916, resting at Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, France. Plot III Row A Grave 184.
Older brother Alfred George (Reg No-7335, 5th Australian Machine Gun Battalion, born 1891, died 1975, resting at Wollongong) also served 1st A.I.F.
Younger brother Reuben Clarence (Clarece, Reg No-5104, 19th Battalion, born 1898, resting at Lancashire Cottage Cemetery, Belgium. Plot III Row C Grave 7).
Many thanks to Trevor Wells for the family history and photos.
http://sandgate.northerncemeteries.com.au/index.php/war-heroes/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=103&aso=exact&s_f=id&data_search=26645#images
Lest We Forget.
AWM Biographical Summary
1337 Private (Pte) Herbert Charles Wells, 19th Battalion, of West Narrabri, NSW. A labourer prior to enlisting in February 1915, aged 21, Pte Wells embarked from Sydney on board HMAT Ceramic (A40) on 25 June 1915. He served at Gallipoli from August until the evacuation in December 1915. Pte Wells arrived in France for service on the Western Front in March 1916 and was promoted to Lance Corporal in September. On 5 November he was appointed Temporary Corporal and was wounded in action nine days later. He rejoined his unit in France on 8 March 1917 and was promoted to Corporal the same day. Promotion to Sergeant (Sgt) followed in August 1917. Sgt Wells was wounded in action for second time by a gas attack in France on 26 April 1918 and did not return to the Front. Sgt Wells' three brothers had also enlisted, two had died; 2147 Pte David John Wells, 33rd Battalion, of pneumonia in France on 3 December 1916 and 5104 Pte Reuben Clarence Wells, 19th Battalion, killed in action in Belgium on 13 January 1918. The third brother 7335 Pte Albert George Wells, 5th Machine Gun Battalion, was still serving in France. He was to return to Australia in 1919. With two of his brothers dead, Sgt Wells was granted a discharge on compassionate grounds in order to support his elderly father and ill sister. Sgt Herbert Charles Wells arrived home in November 1918. He later married and had six children. He died in 1941.
Click images to start slideshow.