DAY, Charles Edward
| Service Number: | 3791 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 November 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 55th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Bow, Middlesex, England, June 1873 |
| Home Town: | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Sydney New South Wales, Australia, 25 March 1938, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Woronora General Cemetery, New South Wales Anglican Monumental Section AG, Grave 566 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Nov 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3791, 19th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Jan 1916: | Involvement Private, 3791, 19th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Jan 1916: | Embarked Private, 3791, 19th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Runic, Sydney | |
| 26 Feb 1916: | Involvement Private, 3791, Disembarked at Alexandria, Egypt - Africa | |
| 3 Mar 1916: | Transferred 55th Infantry Battalion, 55th Battalion (5th) AIF A company | |
| 29 Jun 1916: | Embarked Marseilles from Alexandria | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement With 13th in action against Germans. | |
| 9 Oct 1916: | Wounded To Hospital Sick - Hospitalised from exhaustion – 15th Field ambulance | |
| 16 Dec 1916: | Involvement Rejoined Unit | |
| 14 Jan 1917: | Involvement To Division Signals School | |
| 7 Feb 1917: | Involvement (Battle of the Somme) On command Fricourt Camp (France) wardens | |
| 29 May 1917: | Involvement Rejoined 55th, Replaced from Water Guard | |
| 20 Jun 1917: | Wounded To 14th Australian Field Ambulance Sick.(The condition is the result of his being buried by a shell burst at Le Transloy). | |
| 14 Jul 1917: | Wounded Evacuated to England | |
| 16 Jul 1917: | Involvement Lewisham Military Hospital | |
| 20 Aug 1917: | Involvement Dartford 3rd Auxiliary Hospital | |
| 22 Aug 1917: | Involvement Weymouth Convalescent Rehabilitation Hospital | |
| 5 Dec 1917: | Involvement Marched out to Administrative Headquarters from hospital pending discharge. | |
| 6 Dec 1917: | Discharged AIF WW1 | |
| 20 May 2020: | Embarked Return sailing with wife and child on H.T. Kigoma, arrival in Sydney July 19, 1920 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Peter Day
My Grandfather, Charles Edward Day (1873-1938) and his eldest son, Charles Errol Francis Day – known as Errol (1898-1917 King’s Own Scottish Borderers 1st battalion, # 27860) both served on the Western Front during WW1.
Charles, from England, was working as a labourer in Sydney (also working on a shipping line to come out here) when war broke out. After the losses experienced in Gallipoli there was a resurgence of enlistments for the war effort and on November 9, 1915 Charles at the age of 42, 5 months (DOB unknown), enlisted at Holsworthy as a private in the 19th Battalion, 9th Reinforcement of the Australian Imperial Expeditionary Force (#3791).
On enlistment - 5’9” 175cm), 146lbs (66kg), Chest 35”-371/2”, Dark complexion, Brown eyes, Dark Brown hair.
Leaving Sydney, Jan 20, 1916, Charles arrived in Alexandria, Egypt Feb 2. While training in Egypt he transferred to the 55th AIF Battalion on April 3. The 55th was formed out of Gallipoli survivors (3rd Btn) and largely untrained late volunteers. He arrived in Marseilles June 29 and within 2 weeks the 55th was on the Western Front at Fromelles. Fromelles was the worst disaster in Australian history when in a 24 hour period, 1917 Australian men were killed in action with some 5000 casualties. Charles spent most of his service in this area around Arras in Northern France and spent the Winter in the trenches defending The Hindenburg Line until Dec 11 when he was removed and hospitalised due to exhaustion. From the end of December he served out the Winter in the Fricourt Farm Camp during the Battle of the Somme. On May 29, 1917, Charles returned to active duty in the 55th.
Charles’s involvement from here was short-lived. June 20, 1917 he was hospitalised after serious injury to 14th Australian Field Ambulance.
“The condition is the result of his being buried by a shell burst at Le Transloy”
My Dad (Arch/Pop) always told me the story that he was actually buried for several days before he could be rescued so I guess the incident happened sometime in the week leading up to June 20. After examining records at the Australian War Memorial it appears he was injured while guarding a water supply. From here Charles active service was over as he was evacuated to England on the 14th July for months of ongoing treatment for his injuries. He was admitted to Lewisham Military Hospital July 16, 1917.
From July 31, Errol, (Charles's son) was fighting in the Third Battle of Ypres (Battle of Pachendale) and on August 16, 1917 he was killed in action. On this day, 4066 soldiers were killed. He is remembered on a Remembrance Plaque in the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium and also back in England in the Ilford War Memorial Hall.
On August 20, Charles was transferred to Dartford 3rd Auxiliary hospital and then to Weymouth Convalescent Rehabilitation Hospital August 22, 1917. As Charles had left the family when Arch was quite young, his earliest recollection of meeting his father was when he was in hospital. He described him as being very well liked and charming.
On December 5, 1917 Charles ‘Marched out to Administrative Headquarters’ and on December 6, Charles was discharged 'unfit for all services' in London and he, his wife, Ellen and son, Arch all received compensation as a result of his injuries from active service. For his service he was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Charles then brought his family on the 'H.T Kigoma' sailing on May 20, 1920 to Australia arriving July 19, 1920 for purposes of re-settlement.
Peter John Day (Grandson)
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