Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Charles Vivian Edwardsen SX14446
Charles was born on 20 May 1916 in Berri SA to Edvin Paul and Clairese Edvartsen who later anglicised their first names to Edwin and Clarice and surname to Edwardsen. Charles was one of six children, Roy Frederick, Nancy Joyce Mavis (May) Joan, Vivienne Claire and Eric Edward. Sadly, Eric later died in the Adelaide Hospital, aged 27 years in June ’42.
The children all attended the local Berri school with their families all actively supporting fund raising efforts, including an annual fancy dress frolic held in the local Rivoli Theatre in 1930. Amongst a range of costumes, including fairies, cowboys, clowns, gypsies, a container of Brasso and toy soldier, Charles dressed as an Aborigine in those simpler times.
In later years, Charles met Monica Croser, from the Pinnaroo area. Monica had excelled at her Business College studies in both Typewriting and Shorthand. She was also actively involved in local events, including a mock wedding held in the Wilkawatt Hall to help raise money for Miss Airforce in 1941. She was most entertaining as Cecil Green, the Bestman.
The following year on 20th June ‘42, Monica, then living at Warradale, married Charles at St Joseph’s Church in Brighton. By that time 24-year-old Charles had enlisted and was Corporal Edwardsen. Charlie had been part of the Militia bearing the number -S26686. However, with the outbreak of WWII he enlisted on the 6th August 1940 in his hometown of Berri, officially becoming SX14446 and allocated to the newly formed 2/48th Battalion.
Initial days were spent in the cold of the Pavilions, now part of the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds, before the new enlistees headed to Woodside for their preliminary training. The large contingent embarked on the Stratheden for the Middle East, on the 7th November 1940, arriving on the 19th December 1940. Charles’ 2/48th Battalion completed a few months training in Cyrenaica before going to Tobruk at the start of April 1941 where the dust, flies, heat, minimal water supplies and constant bombardment were quite a challenge to these fresh new enlistees.
Monica and Charles welcomed a daughter, Patricia Ann, who was born at Bindarra Hospital in Brighton on January 12th 1943 while George was serving overseas. They had two more girls, Julie and Debbie and two sons, Michael Bruce and Raymond Charles who was born post war on November 19th 1949 at the Berri Hospital.
In typical country fashion, the soldiers from Berri were given a warm welcome at the Rivoli Theatre when home on leave in March of ’43. Dancing and speeches were part of the evening with the comment reported in the ‘Murray Pioneer’ that “the whole district was proud of what these men had accomplished. Most of the soldiers present had taken part in the battles for Tobruk and El Alamein, others had fought in Syria and New Guinea, and some had been on active service in North Australia. Other men present had fought at Darwin and had taught the Japs to fly high and keep their distance. It was a pleasure and honour to welcome men from the several famous battalions.”
Charles was one of the diminished numbers from the 2/48th who survived the War. He was discharged on the 29th November, 1945. Charlie, Monica and their young family lived at Berri on the Murray River, (the name being derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ‘bend in the river’). Charlie joined the Berri Rifle Club which had been in recess over the period of the war, proving to be an accurate shot.
Charles died aged 76 in 1992 on 9th June and was buried in the Barmera Cemetery. Monica lived to be 84 and died on the 17th March 2008. Both are commemorated with individual plaques at the Barmera cemetery.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.