CARTER, Stanley Russell
| Service Number: | 3243 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 50th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | West Melbourne, VIC, 30 May 1897 |
| Home Town: | Glen Osmond, Burnside, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Glen Osmond Public School |
| Occupation: | foreman GF Cleland & Son (50 years service 1965) |
| Died: | Adelaide, South Australia, 7 January 1973, aged 75 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia Derrick Gardens, Path 25, Grave 228B |
| Memorials: | Glen Osmond St Saviour's Anglican Church Memorial Stained Glass Windows & Plaques, GlenOsmondO5*, Myrtle Bank War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 3 Aug 1915: | Enlisted | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 3243, 12th 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, 3243, 12th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Benalla, Adelaide | |
| 3 Mar 1916: | Transferred 52nd Infantry Battalion | |
| 5 Jun 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3243, 52nd Infantry Battalion, Embarked on the SS Ivernia from Alexandria to Marseilles | |
| 7 Jan 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal | |
| 6 May 1918: | Honoured Military Medal, Dernancourt/Ancre | |
| 18 May 1918: | Transferred 50th Infantry Battalion | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 3243, 50th Infantry Battalion | |
| 18 Jul 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 3243, 50th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Modbury High School
Stanley Russel Carter, also known as Mossy or Stan, was born on the 30th of May 1897 in 64 Stanley St, West Melbourne, Victoria. He was the son of Samuel Carter and Sarah Maria Barnett, and brother of Harold, John, Olive, Stella, William, and Hilda, giving his family a total of 9 members. He was educated at Glen Osmond Public School and worked as a labourer after he left school.
On the 3rd of August 1915, Stanley enlisted in the AIF (Australian Imperial Force) in Adelaide at the age of 18 years and 3 months with written consent from both of his parents. On his enlistment form, he was described as being 5’ 2 ½” (158.75cm) tall weighing 115lbs (52kg) and having blue eyes, dark brown hair and a medium complexion. He had previously served with the Senior Cadets but was discharged from the Citizen Forces on the account of height.
Upon enlisting, Stanley was given the service number 3243 and was ranked Private. He trained with E Company, 2nd Depot Battalion and joined the 11th Reinforcement of the 12th Infantry Battalion on the 1st of September 1915. He embarked on the HMAT Benalla A24 on the 27th of October bound for Egypt. After around seven months of gruelling training in Tel El Kebir and Zeitoun with the 52nd Infantry Battalion, he departed on the SS Ivernia from Alexandria to Marseilles on the 5th of June 1916.
The 52nd Infantry Battalion, consisting of one half of war veterans and another half of new recruits, landed in France 7 days later on the 12th of June. They fought in their first major battle, the battle of Mouquet Farm, on September 3rd of the same year. The 52nd had a key assaulting role in this attack which resulted in a large number of casualties – more than 50% of its total number of soldiers being killed.
Stanley was promoted to Lance Corporal on the 7th of January 1917. A year later in January 1918, he detached from the battalion to join the Corp Signal School, later rejoining the 52nd Infantry Battalion a couple months later in March. Two months later, he was awarded the Military Medal for gallantry in the attacks on Dernancourt, France, on the 6th of May.
The 52nd Battalion disbanded a little over a week later as a result of heavy casualties and to send reinforcements to other units. Stanley was tranferred to the 50th Infantry Battalion where he would serve for the remainder of the war. The battalion’s last involvement in the conflict was on the 18th of September 1918 with the attack on the Hindenburg outpost line.
Stanley was discharged from service on the 18th of July 1919 and returned home to Australia soon after.
After the war, Stanley worked as a foreman for the GF Cleland & Son olive oil company, alongside his father, and two of his brothers. Their family would stay connected with the company for a long time, serving almost 80 years.
Stanley married his wife Ivy May Harriett Amos in Brown St, Adelaide on the 27th of May 1933. Together, they had one daughter who they named Valma Dawn Carter. She was born on February 16th 1934 in an Adelaide nursing home.
Stanley Russell Carter passed away on January 7th, 1973 at the age of 75 in the Royal Adelaide Hospital and was buried two days after. His grave lies in the Derrick Gardens at Centennial Park Cemetery, Pasadena.
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