DONNELLY, Charles Francis
| Service Number: | 3291 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 27 July 1915, at Adelaide |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 50th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, August 1884 |
| Home Town: | Broken Hill, Broken Hill Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Miner |
| Died: | 6 May 1936, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Broken Hill South Mine Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 27 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3291, 10th Infantry Battalion, at Adelaide | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 3291, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Benalla embarkation_ship_number: A24 public_note: '' | |
| 27 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 3291, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Benalla, Adelaide | |
| 14 Aug 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Corporal, 3291, 50th Infantry Battalion, "The Last Hundred Days", Gassed | |
| 13 Sep 1918: | Honoured Military Medal, Villers-Bretonneux | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Private, 3291, 50th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Charles Fancies Donnelly was born in Adelaide in the year 1885 and lived in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia. His occupation at the time was a miner and he didn’t have a spouse. His next of kin was his sister, Miss E M Donnelly, Angas cottage, North Adelaide, South Australia. Charles Francis Donnelly enlisted on the 27th of July 1915 in Adelaide. He embarked from Australia on board the HMAT A24 Benalla on the 27th of October 1915. Charles Francis Donnelly was recruited for the 10th battalion but was moved to the 50th to strengthen it.
The 50th battalion was raised in Egypt on 26th of February 1916 as part of doubling the AIF. Around half of the recruits were from the 10th battalion who were veterans and the other half fresh new soldiers from Australia. This battalion become part of the 13th Brigade of the 4th Australian Division and was named ‘Hurcombe’s Hungry Half Hundred’, after its first CO, Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Hurcombe. Charles Francis Donnelly was transferred to this battalion on the 26th of February 1916 where he was trained in Egypt to become a stretcher bearer. Stretcher bearers were the soldiers who went out to collect the wounded soldiers and try and bring them back to their trenches/base to try and get the wounded some medical help. An example of a famous stretcher bearer is John Simpson who is very well known because he used donkey to transport the wounded or dead of the battlefield.
Donnelly served through most of the war with his battalion, including the fighting at Mouquet Farm, Messines, Ypres, and Villers Bretonneux. On 14th August 1918 Charles Francis Donnelly was gassed but was only wounded, and he rejoined his unit in late September.
On the 3rd September 1918 Charles Francis Donnelly was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery as a stretcher bearer for his actions at Villers-Bretonneux. His citation reads as follows:
Near VILLERS BRETONNEUX on 24/25th April 1918 this N.C.O. was Orderly to the Medical Officer & in charge of the Regtl. Stretcher-bearers. Early in the operations the R.M.O. was killed. Cpl. DONNELLY immediately took over the responsibilities of the R.M.O. On his own initiative under heavy M.G. fire he moved about till he found a suitable place for an Aid post. Having established this he got in touch with the Regtl. Stretcher-bearers forwards and with the Dressing Station to the rear. As soon as he got the evacuations of wounded well started he made his way to Bn. H.Q. under heavy shellfire and reported what had occurred. He then returned to the Aid Post & carried on his work in a highly satisfactory manner for some hours until a new Medical Officer arrived. He showed great courage energy & resourcefulness throughout the operations.
On the 1st of May 1919 Charles Francis Donnelly finally returned to Australia after being overseas for around 4 years. Unfortunately, Charles Francis Donnelly died on the 6th of May 1936. This means he returned to Australia and lived for another 17 years making him around 52 years old when he died.
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