Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Charles William Bovey was born 31 Mar 1895 at Bulimba, Brisbane the son of Richard and Margaret Adams. Charles was living in the Boonah area before he enlisted in the AIF during WW1. In 1914 C Povey gave a recitation at the Star of Boonah Tent at a function to farewell Sister A. 0. Beverley, who was leaving the district to engage in business at Sandgate. He also belonged to the Royal Edward Lodge Boonah

Charles was working as a Farm Hand, at Boonah, when he enlisted in the AIF at Enoggera on 13 Jan 1916. His records show he was 20 years 9 months of age, 5 ft 8ins tall, weight 150lbs, chest 36 – 38 ½ ins, complexion far, eyes hazel and hair fair.

Charles gave his father as NOK – Richard Bovey, Armstrong Rd, Cannon Hill, Cleveland Line, Qld.

Charles states in his army records that he had served 15 months compulsory service.  Before the First World War, Australia was the only English-speaking country which had a system of compulsory military training during a time of peace. The legislation for compulsory military training was introduced in 1909 by Prime Minister Alfred Deakin and passed into law in 1911 under the succeeding Fisher Labor Government.

The legislation provided for three levels of training:

Junior cadets for 12–14 year old boys
Senior cadets for 14–18 year old males
Charles Bovey was assigned to the 26th Battalion, 14th Reinforcement and his unit embarked from Brisbane, Queensland, on board HMAT A50 Itonus on 8 August 1916.

Before he left for overseas he probably went to Boonah to visit his girlfriend Louisa Buchbach and it seems this this visit resulted in the birth of their daughter Emma Maggie Buchbach on 13 Mar 1917. It is not known if Charles was aware of the birth of this child.

Whilst serving in France Charles Bovey was charged with Desertion on 23 Mar 1917 for 5 days when on Active Service. He pleaded Not Guilty but was found Guilty and sentenced to 15 years Penal Servitude which was commuted to 10 years then to 2 years in May 1917. Charles sentence was suspended and he was released on 20 Apr 1918 and retrained for unit at the front.

Charles re-joined his unit on 6 May 1918 and was Killed in Action on 29 Aug 1918. He was buried at an Isolated Grave 250 yards from La Chapellette Road, 1 ¼ miles E of Barleuso & 1 ¾ miles SSW of Peronnne. His grave was exhumed in and Charles was reburied at Assevillers New British Cemetery, Picardie, France.

The contents of this file are quite upsetting. His father wrote in 1917 asking why he was not receiving his sons pay to be told he was serving penal servitude, hence no pay. A friend, Miss J McCourt, wrote in in Sep 1917 to the Base Records Office asking for information about Charles as he had not responded to her letter. I have not found a response to this letter in his file.

In Sep 1918 H R Beverley, Secretary of the Royal Edward Lodge Boonah wrote to the Base Records office requesting Charles death certificate so that the claim for Lodge death benefit could be completed.

Charles Father received Memorial Scroll on 20 Jul 1921 and 3 copies of photos of the grave of No 5453 Private Charles William Bovey  in Dec 1921, Victory Medal on 20 Mar 1923, Memorial Plaque on 6 Dec 1922. Charles private effected were received by his father in 1919: 1 cloth wallet, letters, cards, photos.

We can only imagine what it was like for the young men to be involved in those terrible battles during WW1,  During the First World War, the Australian Government refused to allow members of the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF) to be executed for desertion, despite pressure from the British Government and military to do so. The AIF had the highest rate of soldiers going absent without leave of any of the national contingents in the British Expeditionary Force, and the proportion of soldiers who deserted was also higher than that of other forces on the Western Front in France.