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Australia

Charles was the son of John HOWE & Sarah Elizabeth CORBELL and was born on the 12th of August 1896 in Port MacDonnell, SA.

His parents were married on the 25th of February 1884 in the Holy Cross Church, Mt Gambier, SA.

His father was the son of John HOWE and was born on the 10th of April 1852 in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England.
His mother was the daughter of John CORBELL & Amy BOOTHEY and was born on the 30th of August 1856 in Cherry Gardens, SA.

Charles was the eleventh child born into the family of 14 children.

His father was a Blocker and the family lived in Mt Schank.

Charles was educated in the Mt Schank Public School and then Charles gained employment as a farm labourer.

In 1914 Charles joined the 22nd Light Horse, C Squadron, in Mt Gambier.

At the age of 19, Charles enlisted in the 1st AIF on the 8th of February 1916 in Millicent, SA and was allotted the service number 6049 and posted to Base Light Horse, 2nd Depot Battalion. He was then posted to the 9th Light Horse Regiment, 17th Reinforcements in Mitcham Camp on the 7th of March and then on the 16th of April he was transferred to the 48th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcements.

On the 12th of July Charles was transferred to the 48th Battalion, 4th Reinforcements.

His brother Alexander enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 14th of February 1916 and was allotted the service number 5383 and posted to 10th Battalion, 17th Reinforcements.
Alexander embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A60 Aeneas on the 11th of April 1916.

Charles embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A70 Ballarat on the 12th of August 1916, disembarked in Plymouth on the 30th of September and marched into the 3rd Training Battalion at Perham Downs.

Charles then served in France. He was wounded twice and received the Military Medal for Gallantry.

Sadly whilst he was in the Merris sector, his father died on the 20th of May 1918.

Charles embarked from England on the 18th of January 1919 on board HT Ulysses, disembarking in Adelaide on the 1st of March.

Charles was awarded his Military Medal on the 14th of May and was then discharged from the AIF on the 14th of September 1919.

Charles then became a rabbit trapper and was living in Comaum where for a number of years was engaged in trapping rabbits in the district.
In October 1936, whilst out setting traps near the lagoon when he noticed an empty billycan and on looking around he found the body of William Blackmore floating in the water.

In 1951 he was using a hut at Wrattonbully Station and was trapping rabbits when he was found dead near the entrance of the hut on Wednesday the 23rd of May 1951.
It appeared that he slipped on the steps of the hut and had fallen and fractured his skull.

His funeral took place 2 days later and he was buried in the Lake Terrace Cemetery, Mt Gambier; Section K, Plot 663.

Military

At the age of 19, Charles enlisted in the 1st AIF on the 8th of February 1916 in Millicent, SA and was allotted the service number 6049 and posted to Base Light Horse, 2nd Depot Battalion.
He listed his father, of Mark Street, Mt Gambier, SA, as his next of kin.

He was then posted to the 9th Light Horse Regiment, 17th Reinforcements in Mitcham Camp on the 7th of March and then on the 16th of April he was transferred to the 48th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcements.

On the 12th of July Charles was transferred to the 48th Battalion, 4th Reinforcements.

Charles embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A70 Ballarat on the 12th of August 1916, disembarked in Plymouth on the 30th of September and marched into the 3rd Training Battalion at Perham Downs.

Charles spent Christmas 1916 here before proceeding to France on the 28th of December and marching into the 4th Australian Divisional Base Depot (ADBD) in Etaples.
On the 6th of February 1917 he was taken on strength with the 48th Battalion who were in Albury Camp near Flers.
They then moved to Townsville Camp on the 12th and then moved into the front line trenches 3 days later and relieved the 47th Battalion in Bulls Trench.

The 48th Battalion became known as the "Joan of Arc" (the Maid of Orleans) Battalion because it was "made of all Leanes" - it was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Ray Leane, his brother was the adjutant, and several other relatives were scattered throughout the Battalion.

After 10 days they were relieved and moved to Mametz Brigade Camp for 2 days before moving to Becourt Camp.
They then moved to Henecourt Wood on the 1st of March for training and after 3 weeks here they moved to Shelterwood Camp, near Fricourt.
Five days later they moved to Eaucourt-sur-Somme and then on the 1st of April they moved to Biefvillers-les-Bapaume, where they carried out fatigue work.
On the 8th of April they relieved the 52nd Battalion in the front line at Noreuil and they were then scheduled to attack Bullecourt on the 10th.
In a hastily planned operation, and for the first time on the Western Front, the assault was to proceed without a supporting artillery bombardment. Instead tanks, being used for the first time by the British 5th Army, including the 4th Australian Division, were to lead the attack.

Two of the 4th Division’s Brigades, the 4th and 12th, were to advance to the right of Bullecourt, turn left along the Hindenburg trench system and advance until they linked up with men of the British 62nd Division attacking from the other side of the town.
Both formations were then to push through to the rear of the German defences.
When the tanks failed to reach their start line on the morning of the 10th of April the attack was postponed, leaving Charles and his Battalion lying in the snow covered no-man’s-land to hurry back to their own lines.
Dawn was breaking as they retreated under the eyes of the enemy.

The attack did go ahead the following morning on the 11th of April. Again some of the tanks failed to arrive. Those that did either broke down or were destroyed; just one reached the enemy’s first trench.
Without armoured support, Charles and the Australian infantry achieved what was, until then, considered an impossible feat; breaking into the German trenches without a protective artillery barrage.
Within hours though, they faced annihilation.

Exposed on both flanks, cut off from reinforcements by German artillery fire and at risk of being trapped by Germans working their way to the Australians’ rear, the survivors made a break for their own lines.
Less than ten hours after it began, the assault had ended in failure. Some 3,000 Australians had been killed or wounded and more than 1,100 were taken prisoner.

Charles was one of the wounded, suffering a Gun Shot Wound to his left leg and knee.
He was transferred and admitted into the 1st General Hospital in Etretat on the 13th and then on the 21st he was invalid to England and admitted into 2nd Southern General Hospital in Bristol.
He spent 11 days here before being discharged to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford on the 2nd of May.
After nearly 7 weeks in this hospital Charles had recovered and was discharged to furlo on the 22nd of June.

On the competition of his furlo on the 6th of July, he reported to No.1 Command Depot in Perham Downs, where he was classified B1, b (fit for physical training and route marching).
Charles was then transferred to No.2 Command Depot in Weymouth on the 2nd of August, but 7 days later he was transferred back to No.1 Command Depot.

He suffered from blistering lips on the 20th of September and was admitted to the Military Hospital in Tidworth as a precaution of an Infectious disease.
After 4 weeks here he was discharged back to No.1 Command Depot and then on the 21st of November he was transferred to the Overseas Training Brigade in Longbridge Deverill.

The following week Charles was posted to the 12th Training Battalion in Codford, where he spent Christmas 1917 before proceeding to France on the 1st of January 1918 and marched into the Australian Infantry Base Depot in Le Havre, the following day.

Charles rejoined his Battalion on the 5th of January at Haut Allaines and then 4 days later they entrained at Peronne for Bailleul and they then spent the next 10 days in the Hollebeke sector front line before being relieved and moved to Cavanagh Camp, near La Clytte.
Here they were engaged in working and fatigue parties until they relieved the 13th Battalion in Crater Dugouts on the 7th of February and after 7 days here they relieved the 47th Battalion at White Chateau, near Hollebeke.
They were then relieved on the 20th and moved to Murrumbidgee Camp and then 4 days later Charles was transferred to the 10th Battalion, who were in training at Aldershot Camp.

In March and April they helped stop the German spring offensive and were then involved in the operations leading up to the Allied counter-stroke.
In May they were in the front line in the Strezeele sector and then by mid May they were on fatigue duty at La Kreule before moving to Sercus and then onto the Merris sector, into the front line.

On the 5th of July they were relieved from the front line and moved into camp at Blaringhem and whilst here Charles was promoted to Lance Corporal on the 12th.
Whilst in the front line again, Charles suffered from Diarrhoea on the 26th of July and was admitted into the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance before being transferred to the 70th Casualty Clearing Station and then onto the 64th Casualty Clearing Station at Watten.
He then rejoined his Battalion on the 2nd of August at Heuringhem and then entrained for Pont Remy 4 days later and then onto Harbonnieres on the 9th and bivouacked.

At 8am the following morning, 10th of August, they marched forward for the attack at Crepey Wood where they were met with a very strong enemy resistance and made little ground.
Then the following at 4am they attacked Crepey Wood again. The morning was very misty and dark and they experience great difficulty in maintaining direction.
Throughout the entire attack strong concentration of enemy machine gun fire hampered their movement.

It was during this attack, on the 11th of August, that Charles’s Company came into contact with an enemy machine gun which opened fire. Charles immediately got his Lewis Gun into action and continued to fire until his gun was damaged and he was wounded.
Despite his wounds he then rushed the enemy gun position, capturing it and turned the gun on the retiring Germans, killing three and wounding four.
Charles showed great devotion to duty and set a fine example to his section.

For his actions here at Crepey Wood, Charles was later warded the Military Medal (MM) for “Gallantry and devotion to duty”.

It was then here 2 days later that a shell burst within inches of Charles which rendered him unconscious.
He was admitted into the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance at Villers-Bretonneux and then transferred to the 55th Casualty Clearing Station at Vecquemont.
He was then transferred and admitted into the 11th Stationary Hospital in Rouen and he was diagnosed with a severe Base Skull Fracture.

Eleven days later Charles was invalided to England and admitted to Northampton War Hospital in Duston where he remained for the next 6 weeks before being discharged to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford on the 7th of November.
Charles was here when the Armistice was signed 4 days later and then on the 19th he was discharged from hospital and granted furlo until the 3rd of December.

He reported to No.4 Command Depot in Hurdcott and was then transferred to No.2 Command Depot in Weymouth on the 21st.
Three days later he became sick and was admitted to hospital, where he spent his last Christmas away from family and friends.
On the 6th of January 1919 Charles was discharged to No.2 Command Depot in Weymouth and then embarked from England on the 18th of January 1919 on board HT Ulysses, disembarking in Adelaide on the 1st of March.

Charles was discharged from the AIF on the 14th of September 1919 and awarded the Military Medal, British War & Victory Medals.