BATH, Charles Hubert
| Service Number: | Commissioned Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 April 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 32nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | North Adelaide, SA, 26 October 1879 |
| Home Town: | Woodville, Charles Sturt, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Multiple injuries (Trampled by horses at Oakbank), Oakbank, SA, 13 April 1925, aged 45 years |
| Cemetery: |
North Road Cemetery, Nailsworth, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Adelaide Grand Masonic Lodge WW1 Honour Board (2), Woodville Saint Margaret's Anglican Church Lych Gate |
World War 1 Service
| 5 Apr 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Commissioned Officer, 32nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Nov 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Commissioned Officer, 3rd Divisional Signal Company | |
| 10 Nov 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Commissioned Officer, 3rd Divisional Signal Company, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '6' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 18 Nov 1915: | Involvement Lieutenant, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 18 Nov 1915: | Embarked Lieutenant, 32nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Adelaide | |
| 24 Apr 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1 | |
| 11 Jul 1919: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches | |
| 15 Sep 1919: | Honoured Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Relating to the conspicuous services rendered by yourself whilst serving with the Australian Imperial Force. "THE KING has been graciously pleased, on the occasion of his Majesty's Birthday, to give orders for the following promotion in, and appointment to, the Mos Excellent Order of the British Empire, for valuable services rendered in connexion with Military operations in France : To be Officer of the Military Division of the said Most Excellent Order: Captain Charles Hubert BATH" The above has been promulgated in Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 109 dated 15 September 1919 |
Trampled to death at Oakbank
News Adelaide Monday 13 April 1925 page 1
BANK OFFICER KILLED
TRAMPLED TO DEATH
Mr. C. H. Bath Galloped On
OAKBANK, Today.
During the first race today horses galloped upon Mr. Charles Hubert Bath, of Hughes street, Woodville, a member of the staff of the Bank of Adelaide, and killed him almost instantly.
Mr. Bath strayed upon the track, and apparently did not notice the approach of the horses until they were almost on top of him. He hesitated for a moment,
but in that instant Oorla King crashed into him and felled him to the ground.
He attempted to rise, and had just gained a stooping position when Comie Knight knocked him down again. Half a dozen other horses then galloped upon the prostrate form.
Spectators and ambulance officials quickly went to the assistance of the injured man, who had sustained terrible head injuries. He did not speak, and
was dead when picked up. He was taken to the casualty room, where a quarterly railway ticket bearing the name of C. H. Bath, of Woodville, was found in a pocket.
Other articles were also found upon the body bearing the same name and address.
The accident occurred behind the hill just before the first jump, and was not witnessed by the crowds in the stand and on the flat.
The impact caused, injuries to the head of Oorla King and spoilt the chances of that horse in the race. Mr. Bath was a well-known military man and was a member of the 'Naval and Military Club.
KEEN MILITARY MAN.
Mr. Bath was a son of the late Mr. Bath, of the Railway Stores' Department,' and nephew. of Mr. Bath, who for many years was secretary to the Minister of Education. From his youth he had taken a keen interest in military work and was attached to the Signallers' Corps, in which he gained a commission. When war was declared in 1914 he was appointed to the Intelligence Department of the military and with Major J. J. Hughes was engaged in making important investigations into the operations of enemy subjects in South Australia. Mr. Bath afterwards left for the front,. where he had a distinguished career and attained the rank of major and was awarded the O.B.E. He was one of the most popular members of the Naval and Military Club, in which he evinced a deep interest. Mr. Bath, who was single and lived with his widowed mother aid sister, was an earnest Freemason, and took a prominent part in the recent institution of the the Woodville Lodge.
MANAGER'S TRIBUTE
Referring to the death of Mr. Bath, Mr. Scott Young (manager of the Bank of Adelaide) said this afternoon that he was a man who had had a most excellent war record. He was a captain of the signallers an' while at the front rendered great service. At the bank Mr. Bath had been held in the highest esteem by all with whom he had come in contact. He had been associated with the bank for some years, and he regretted keenly the 'death of' such a valued servant. Mr. Bath travelled to Oakbank in 'a car with four other officers of the Bank of Adelaide. The party was delayed near the entrance gates, and Mr. Bath,
eager to see the first, race, left the car and hurried to the course. Two or three other members. of the party followed, and arrived in time to see the accident, but it was not until two hours later that they, learned it was their travelling companion who had been trampled to death.
(Advertiser, 17 April 1925, p. 13.)
An eyewitness to the tragedy was Mr. Percy West, ‘who is the driver of a Mitcham bus, had taken a load of passengers to Oakbank on Monday, and was watching the Hurdle race from the back seat of his vehicle’:
As he glanced across the course he saw a little boy run out on the track just after the first horses swept by. In another instant a man who he afterwards learned was Major Bath, stepped out of a motor car and ran in pursuit of the child, who was making his way straight across the track. There was a shout of “Look out; they’re coming,” and just as the child scrambled through the fence to safety Major Bath was knocked down by the leading horses. . . . ‘In my opinion he undoubtedly met his death in an endeavor to save the child from the danger which he saw threatening him. It was a gallant action.’
Submitted 6 February 2016 by Faithe Jones
Biography contributed by Virtual Australia
From North Rd Cemetary
TRAGIC DEATHS : CHARLES HUBERT BATH
Since 1876, Oakbank Racecourse has been the home of the Great Eastern Steeplechase, and a traditional destination for many on the Easter long weekend.
On Easter Monday, 13 April 1925, Captain Charles Bath, together with four of his work colleagues from the Bank of Adelaide, made their way to Oakbank in the Adelaide Hills to enjoy a day at the races.
On arriving, their car was delayed near the entrance gates to the racecourse just as the first race for the day was starting.
Captain Bath was eager to see the race, and hurriedly left the car, crossing over the footbridge to the course. Apparently being unaware of how close the horses were, he passed the rails, crossing the track. The crowd, on seeing the danger of the approaching horses, called out to him at which point he stopped and turned in an attempt to hear what they were saying. The first three horses passed him safely along the rails, but he was knocked down by the following horse, ‘Oorla King’. He attempted to get up, but was knocked to the ground again by ‘Comic Knight’. Several other horses also galloped over his fallen body.
He was carried from the track by ambulance officers, and following examination by Drs. Aubriecht and Wilson, it was evident that he had been killed instantly.
Bath was a World War 1 veteran. He volunteered for active service in 1915, and was appointed signaling officer to the 32nd Battalion. He served with the 9th Brigade in Egypt and France during which time he was promoted to Captain. He was awarded an O.B.E. in January 1919 for meritorious service and devotion to duty.
Bath was also a lay preacher at St Margaret’s at Woodville, a member of the Naval and Military Club, and a keen Freemason. Major Bath was unmarried, and lived with his mother - who remarkably had a premonition on Easter Sunday that “something dreadful was going to happen to her son”.
He was buried on Thursday 16 April 1925 in Plot 4061, Path 28 North.
A window to the memory of Captain Bath was unveiled at St. Margaret’s Church in Woodville, SA on 30th January 1927.
Although his headstone states that he “gave his life to save a child”, there is no mention in any of the newspaper articles at the time of there being a child involved in the incident.
Son of Hubert William BATH and Sarah Goodeth nee BOTTRILL
Awarded OBE
Biography contributed by Woodville High School
Charles Hubert Bath was born in North Adelaide, South Australia to Sarah Goodett Bath and Hubert William Bath on the 26th of October 1879. Where he went to school is unknown. He lived in Woodville, Charles Sturt, South Australia. His family were members of the Church of England, making them Protestant. Before enlisting in WWI, Charles worked as a Clerk. He never married, before or after the war.
Charles Hubert Bath enlisted on the 5th April 1915, and joined the 32nd Infantry Battalion. He embarked on HMAT Ascanius out of Melbourne 10 November 1915 at the age of 35.
Charles Hubert Bath fought in the 3rd Divisional Infantry Battalion and the 32nd Infantry Battalion. A significant engagement in which the 32nd Battalion was involved was Polygon Wood, which took place on September 26th 1917, in the Belgian region near Ypres. The ships carrying the battalion arrived in the aftermath of the Gallipoli campaign. The battalion was shipped to France in June 1916, to join the fighting on the Western Front. There were 2,079 casualties in the battalion, with 613 fatalities. The Battalion was later disbanded in 1919.
Charles Hubert Bath was promoted to Captain during his time in France on the Western Front on the 6th of January 1917. He went on leave to the United Kingdom on the 3rd of January 1918, and rejoined the unit from leave on the 18th January 1918. He went on leave again, this time to Paris on the 23th October 1918, and rejoined the unit on the 30th October 1918.
The medals Charles received for his service were the Order of the British Empire, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. He survived WWI, Returning to Australia, after the end of the war.
After Charles Hubert Bath returned to Australia after the war on the 4th January 1919, he moved back in with his mother. He remained unmarried for the rest of his life, and never moving out of his mothers house.
On the 13th of April 1925, Charles and some of his work colleagues made their way out to Oakbank to watch the races. Upon arriving, their car was delayed just as the first race was starting. Charles wanted to see the race, so he left the car to go watch. He hurried across a bridge, onto the track. The crowd saw the horses rapidly approaching, and yelled at him to get off the course. He was hit by a horse at full speed, killing him on impact. He was carried off of the track by an ambulance.
References
National Archives of Australia. (1914). Bath Charles Hubert : SERN CAPT : POB N/A : POE N/A : NOK M Bath Sarah Goodett. [online] Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3057071 [Accessed 3 Dec. 2023].
monumentaustralia.org.au. (n.d.). Charles Hubert Bath | Monument Australia. [online] Available at: https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/tragedy/display/118714-charles-hubert-bath [Accessed 2 Dec. 2023].
www.aif.adfa.edu.au. (n.d.). Details. [online] Available at: https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=16278 [Accessed 4 Dec. 2023].
Click images to start slideshow.