Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

At age 29 and two months, Carl Friederich Benjamin Schenscher  enlisted to fight in the First World War from 1915. He was approximately 172 centimetres, which was an average height for a male of that time. He had long brown hair, and hazel eyes with a weight of approximately 69 kilograms. He was born in Monarto, South Australia, and came from an educated family. This can be logically assumed due to the fact that his father was elected as a part of the Monarto council, meaning that he must have been educated. Carl F. B. was single and was first enrolled to be in the 27th Battalion, 6th Reinforcement.

On his attestation form, he enlisted under the name of ‘Frederick Later’, which may have been because he was of German origin and was unsure whether he would have been allowed to fight for Australia. Prior to his time of service, he was an engine driver. Interestingly, he originally stated his next of kin as his friend, Miss Ethel Heddle Morgan, however, it is later found out in his statutory declaration that his true next of kin was his father, Carl Ernst Schenscher. His mother was Louise Caroline Eliza Schenscher (maiden name Schulze), and he had 5 siblings. Unfortunately, his mother passed away (date and cause unknown), and his father remarried to Wilhelmina Schenscher. Together, they had 6 children, meaning that Carl F. B. Schenscher had a total of 11 siblings. He embarked on his World War 1 journey on the 27th of October 1915 on ship HMAT Benalla A25.

Carl F. B. Schenscher received multiple rankings during his time of service. Originally entering the war as a private, he was promoted to a Lance Corporal in September 1917 (28/9/17). This was a role that required supervising small teams of soldiers (up to 4 soldiers) known as fire or brick teams. He was then promoted to a Corporal in February 1918 (25/2/1918), a role from where he could be asked to supervise two fire/brick teams as well as be in charge of a crew. He then finally became a Sergeant three months later (13/5/1918). This gave him a responsibility of being in second command of up to 40 soldiers as well as advising or assisting junior officers. These promotions suggest that Carl F. B. Schenscher was quite a responsible individual and would have been quite well respected amongst other soldiers. He would have had to be skilled in combat, as these roles would have required someone with a high level of ability when fighting. He was originally allocated to the 27th Battalion, 6th Reinforcement, and remained there for 7 months, until he moved to the 10th Battalion. He remained in the 10th Battalion for the rest of his service which concluded at the end of the war.

When on the Western Front, Carl F. B. Schenscher was allocated to fight in a variety of attacks and battles. His first major battle was the Battle of Pozieres, from July to September 1916, and his remaining involvement in service resulted until November 1918, when Germany signed the armistice agreement, ending the war. The Battle of Pozieres took place in Northern France, surrounding the village of Pozieres. It was a successful but costly battle fought as a part of the Somme objective. Pozieres was a village on a ridge that gave the Germans an advantaged view over the Allied trenches. The result of this battle allowed the Allies to reverse this, thus giving them the advantaged view over the German trenches. Due to its location on a ridge, the area had narrow and sloping terrain, which is something that the soldiers must have endured. The battle was also fought during the extremely cold winter, causing the soldiers to suffer. The trenches would have been muddy and unpleasant. They also did not provide warmth, and this led to some soldiers receiving frostbite, which sometimes even resulted in amputation.

When proceeding into this battle, Carl F. B. Schenscher’s Unit was required to bivouac in ‘Old British Trenches’. This means that Carl F. B. Schenscher would have had to endure the extremely unsanitary conditions which were notorious on the Western Front. These included but are not limited to the lack of waste disposal, rats, varying weather, and the stench from dead bodies. He would have also had to remain alert for the Pozieres attack, even with the lack of sleep he would have received. During this battle, on the 26th of July, Carl F. B. Schenscher received a gunshot wound, the place of his injury unknown. Medical attention was not admitted, so it can be inferred that his wound was not severe enough to interrupt his service. On the 2nd August 1916 he was admitted to the 3rd Honourable General Hospital with Shell Shock, a burnt neck and gassing. Shell Shock was caused by the traumatic experiences they faced when fighting in the war, such as the constant sound of artillery being fired. In this case, not only was Pozieres one of the most gruesome battles of the entire war, but it was also Carl F. B. Schenscher’s first time being exposed to a proper conflict, therefore making it more likely for him to contract the disorder. An entry in his service record dated 4th January 1917 states that he was given 72 hours detention and docked 8 day's pay for going 'absent without leave'. By the 13th March 1917 he was back with his unit.

Another major battle that Carl F. B. Schenscher fought in was the First Battle of Bullecourt, beginning on the 11th of April 1917 located in the Northern region of France. This attack was planned to help support the British 3rd and French armies, but due to the poor planning, resulted into a catastrophic disaster, as the subsequent loss of 10,000 AIF men. Although the Australians managed to retrieve a section of the Hindenburg line (German defensive position), the battle did not succeed in retaining any strategic advantage. Four days after this battle began on the 15th April 1917, Carl F. B. Schenscher was injured, most likely from shrapnel, or a gunshot wound, a common cause of injury during this period. This is because, especially during this battle, the Germans possessed much more artillery than the Australians, in particular, heavy artillery, which generally causes a gunshot wound. The unfair advantage favouring the Germans resulted in the Australians withdrawing from the attack 8 hours after it began. On the 26th of September 1917, Carl F. B. Schenscher’s father (Carl Ernst Schenscher) passed away in Monarto, South Australia. This would have been a particularly sad time for Carl F. B. Schenscher, as he would have been unable to return home for his father’s funeral due to his commitment to the war.

On the 18th September 1918 Schenscher carried out ‘conspicuous services’ that later led to the awarding of a Military Medal for bravery in June 1919. This would have been during the Battle of Amiens. His service record states, 

“In the operation near Jeancourt on 18th Sept. 1918 Sgt Schenscher with one man moved forward towards the enemy lines and reached a German post containing 5 men who he forced to surrender after a sharp struggle. During the time the Battalion was holding the line Sgt. Schenscher carried out several very important patrols.

He set an excellent example to all ranks.”

Carl F. B. Schenscher suffered a third injury in France on the 20th of September 1918; however, this time, the injury was not during a battle. He was carrying out some extremely important patrol and was shelled in the hand. His hospital records state that the wound was 1.5 centimetres long and was located along the base of his first metacarpal bone. This would have been a very painful injury and would have affected his ability to fire a weapon. He was consequently 'invalided' on the 26th September 1918.

Carl F. B. Schenscher returned to Australia on the 14th of January 1919 and was discharged on the 10th of April that same year. After the war concluded, there is not much known about Carl F. B. Schenscher’s life. For his time of service, he was awarded three medals: 1914/15-star, British war medal and the Victory medal. He died at the age of 67, during the year 1948.

Bibliography

Adfa.edu.au. (2016). Details. [online] Available at: https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=171087.

Awm.gov.au. (2010). Fromelles and Pozières | The Australian War Memorial. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/anzac-voices/fromelles-pozieres.

Myheritage.com. (2022). [online] Available at: https://www.myheritage.com/names/carl_schenscher [Accessed 31 Mar. 2022].

National Archives of Australia. (1914). SCHENSCHER Carl Frederick Benjamin : [AKA LATER Frederick] : Service Number - 2568 : Place of Birth - Monarto SA : Place of Enlistment - Keswick SA : Next of Kin - (Friend) HEDDLE Ethel. [online] Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8075606 [Accessed 31 Mar. 2022].

www.awm.gov.au. (n.d.). Sergeant Carl Friederich Schenscher. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10940748 [Accessed 31 Mar. 2022].

Anon, (n.d.). 10th Battalion – July 1916 | A World Away | South Australia’s War. [online] Available at: https://southaustraliaswar.history.sa.gov.au/blog-posts/10th-battalion-july-1916/ [Accessed 31 Mar. 2022].

https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1068495/document/5505842.PDF (Australian War Memorial Honours and Recommendations Image)