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Charles was British born on the 7th October 1908 in West Hartle Pool, England, an area known as a central shipping and railway transport hub. His father, Francis continued to live in England when Charlie came to Australia. He lived on the Eyre Peninsula where he was employed as a labourer. There, Charlie quickly picked up Australian Rules football, successfully playing for Ramblers in both football and cricket at Cummins
A huge campaign by the AIF had occurred in country areas with the aim of attracting fit young men to enlist. Just prior to his 32nd birthday Charlie took up the challenge at Port Lincoln in June and was accepted on the 2nd July ’40. He was given the number SX7629 and allocated to the 2/48th Battalion. From the countryside of Cummins, Charlie spent his early days in the close confines and cold of the Pavilions, now part of the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds. Then he and other new enlistees headed to Woodside for their preliminary training.
He was able to return home to Cummins on pre-embarkation leave in October. Soon after, he and his fellow 2/48th Battalion, boarded the Stratheden for the Middle East, on the 7th November 1940 and disembarked on the 17th December. The next stop was 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. Once there, they completed a few months training in Cyrenaica. Bob was to become one of the famed Rats of Tobruk. Conditions in the Middle East were totally different to life on Eyre Peninsula. The battalion was soon involved in intense conflicts where the reputation for being the most highly decorated but decimated battalion was earned. The 2/48th was subjected to heavy, constant German shelling, forcing the men to shelter in the pits they had dug.
In January ’42 Charlie avoided a financial penalty for being AWL for just over an hour, probably having gone visiting other locals from Cummins who were based nearby. By June he was receiving treatment on his right hand, which had become infected in the desert conditions, then just days later also being treated for arthritis in his thumb.
Charlie was wounded in action in October ’42 with a gunshot wound to his right thigh, causing him to be evacuated to the field ambulance and then hospitalised for over a month before he was able to return to his battalion. Conditions for those in the 2/48th were ever-changing and the fighting continuous. Fighting for Trig 29 began on the night of the 23rd October. John Glenn in Tobruk to Tarakan describes how ‘The darkness was rent by flashes from the mouths of over eight hundred guns. The night exploded as no night before had ever done. The desert burst into flame and shattering sound that shook the earth with its fury. Then came the dreadful whispering of thousands of shells rushing by overhead, the shock of explosions as they smashed into the enemy’s guns, men, tanks and communications. The bombers joined in, raining their bombs on the German gunlines. The tranquil stars seemed to quake in their heaven and to recede in horror at such destruction as had never before been witnessed in this land as old as time itself, or perhaps in any land. The smell of cordite drifted chokingly through the air, then dust billowed up and blotted out the flashing guns.’ He later reports that ‘D Company ran up against strong opposition soon after they started’ and that casualties were experienced. Definitive news slowly drifted back about that horrific battle where the 2/48th lost 199 men killed or wounded of their 292 involved in that night’s conflict – over 68 percent of their men. John Glenn continued: ‘Battalion headquarters was out of communication with D Company, the reason which was not then known, being that all members of D Company headquarters had been either killed or wounded. In fact, 16 of their men had been killed on the objective, leaving a company of six to carry on. Just as the company was nearing its objective, the men had approached two mounds with a saddle in between. Fifty yards from these they were met by a murderous fire from the mounds. D Company immediately went to ground, but the Germans swept the area where they lay in the open. The remnants of the Company were being cut to pieces.”
The December Chronicle revealed how decimated the 2/48th Battalion had been and the list of those wounded but who had survived. These included; Third List Killed In Action— SX10464 Pte. William D. C. Cockshell, Jabuk; SX7252 Pte. Laurence A. Smith, Karoonda: Wounded In Action— SX6832 Pte. Walter. J. Fennell, Berri: SX7629 Pte. Charles H. Hewitt, Tumby Bay; SX12524 Pte. W. King, Pt. Augusta; SX7S67 Cpl. Charles H. Lampre, Mambray Creek; SX7139 L-Cpl. Gordon G. Radbone. Bridgewater; SX12353 A-Sgt. Douglas O. Richardson, Westbourne Park; SX7677 A-Cpl. Errol T. Sterzl. Colonel Light Gardens and SX13031 Pte. William C. Wall Peebinga.
By mid-December Charlie was able to return to his battalion before embarking for Australia, via Melbourne at the start of February. Finally, the remnants of the 2/48th returned to Adelaide in March. The local News proudly announced ‘With 2½ years of history-making fighting behind it, the 9th Division A.I.F. received a warm welcome on its return to Australia. One of its South Australian battalions has won three Victoria Crosses and 60 other decorations and awards-more than any other A.I.F. unit.’ In March ’43 Charlie, the three Reed brothers, Privates William SX11152 Robert SX11154 and Jack (John Raymond) SX11153, plus Don Aird SX20045 all arrived home on leave. Having had two years of active service in the Middle East, the Reed family hosted a welcome back party at their home, with dancing, items and speeches. Charlie, Don and the Mickan ‘boys’ from the 2/48th were all in attendance.
The men then returned to prepare for a very different war in New Guinea, in tropical conditions and against a very different enemy. A letter published in the Port Lincoln Times by P/O. R. C. Cooper, of H.M.A,S. Afanoora, ‘We had heard so much about the devastation caused by the retreating Japs ; one has to see it to have any idea of the wilful and wanton destruction. The harbor, which is larger than Lincoln, is littered with partly submerged ships of all descriptions (including Jap warships) ; there are well over the century visible at high water. Docks and wharves are mutilated, some beyond recognition, and the city proper, including the Old Walled City, is just one mass of crumpled masonry and broken T-ridges. Hosts of the buildings were from six to eleven stories; you can imagine the extent of the damage. The Japs had evidently not all been cleaned out, as I witnessed the roundup of a couple of snipers practically in the main street, and on. leaving our convoy was fired on. by a hidden gun on Oorregidor which covers the entrance, as does Boston Island at home. The first days of embarkation of troops were marked by the number of friends and relations the crew found among the troops. For my part there was Lt. Tom Derrick, V.C., and Lt. Bob Harvey and ' Lofty ' Whait, from Port Lincoln ; Cummins will 'be pleased to hear of Charlie Hewitt and Bill, Jack and Bob Reed, who are still going strong; also, Wilibur Tilly, of Butler.’
In February, Charlie left New Guinea, returning to Australia via Brisbane, then to Cummins in March with several of his fellow 2/48th Battalion. These included the three Reed brothers, Privates William SX11152 2/48th Robert SX11154 and Jack (John Raymond), plus Harold Mickan SX9445 who were all in his Battalion. Others from his town were Jack SX579 2/10th and Bill Turner, Christopher O’Farrell SX2174. Charlie took an ‘unofficial’ extra five days leave at the end of the month, which cost him pay for each of the absent days. Soon after he contracted malaria and an extremely high fever (Pyrexia of Unknown Origin) which caused him to be hospitalised for a fortnight. However, he continued to be troubled by malaria, experiencing several bouts of hospitalisation.
Charlie was then serving in Milne Bay when in November he again sustained a gunshot wound, this time to his right hand, with the bullet passing through a finger. Early in December ’43 The Port Lincoln Times reported that Private Charlie had been wounded in action ‘in Australia and island stations.’ The Chronicle again listed information about several others from Charlie’s battalion. These included Killed In Action— SX10464 Pte. William D. C. Cockshell 2/48th Jabuk: SX7252 Pte. Laurence A. Smith, 2/48th Karoonda, then Wounded In Action— SX6832 Pte. Walter J. Fennell, 2/48th Berri: SX7629 Pte. Charles H. Hewitt, 2/48th Tumby Bay; SX7139 L-Cpl. Gordon G. Radbone 2/48th Bridgewater; SX13031 Pte. William C. Wall. 2/48th Peebinga; SX10117 Pte. Mervyn J. Riebe, 2/48th Mylor. With his hand still healing, Charlie spent time with the New Guinea Details Depot.
Following further leave in January ’45, Charlie was again fined for being AWL but by April was again on his way from Cairns to Moratai where he was soon officially diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (neurasthenia), frequently caused by stress.
Charlie was discharged in September ‘45 and returned to being a successful farm labourer. He experienced success in November ’54 in a Fertility And Weed Control Count In Crop Competition, growing the winning crop. The local paper reported that ‘The value of better fertility and control of weeds was reflected in the crops entered for the County Musgrave wheat crop competition, said the judge (Mr. W. A. Michelmore). The winning crop was grown by Mr. C. H. Hewitt on the Murdinga property of Mr. D. G. Siviour, who was placed second. Those two entries were in one paddock which had carried a good standard of lucerne pasture for the last five years. The lucerne was billed by cultivation during the fallow period prior to sowing’.
In January the following year, a huge Welcome Home dance was organised at the Tumby Bay Institute. Charlie was amongst the 30 service personnel honoured and welcomed back to civilian life and the hope that the servicemen would soon settle down to their normal occupation.
Charlie very quickly became immersed again in his local Cummins community, playing tennis and football, and in later years pulling on the gurnsey for the “Old Buffers’ Team”. Charlie also enjoyed sailing, including in the Tumby Bay beach carnival after Christmas in ’46. He competed in the seven-mile course with Jameson, another local, in a vessel called ‘Shark Bait’ but failed to complete the course. However, not all ventures were incident free. In February ’54 Charlie was in one of seven boats taking part in a weekend sail with the Royal Pirie Yacht Club. In taking a short cut on the return journey from Port Davis, Charlie in ‘River Maid’ became stranded on a mud bank. In attempting to tow Charlie, the outgoing tide then caught his rescuer, Charlie Hall resulting in both boats being high and dry in the mud until they re-floated early the next morning. Of course, the misadventure made headlines in the Pirie Recorder. Two years later, Charlie was able to use his motor launch ‘River Maid’ to help in the search for two men who had drifted out to sea from Salt Creek and had been missing for more than 20 hours. He and the local policemen found the men at Stamford near Flinders Monument where they had been blown ashore. Cold and tired, dressed only in trousers and shirts, one of the rescued men commented that "This is the first time I've been out to sea in a small boat, and it will be my last. In future I'll join the band of hope and do a spot of safe fishing from local jetties!"
Charlie was involved in a more tragic, unsuccessful sea search in April ’58 when a steward on the M.V. Minnipa fell overboard on the journey to Port Lincoln. Charlie was one of the locals who willingly offered to help search in his boat ‘Murray River’ in the Cape Donnington -Spalding Cover area.
He was an active member of the Caledonian Society, meeting regularly to ‘hail the haggis’ and wash it down with a drop of "mountain dew". The tradition was described in the Port Lincoln Times as ‘The haggis was piped in with all due solemnity before being mortally wounded and served up in generous dollops to watery-mouthed Scots, who can eat any "given" quantity of a richly stuffed sheep's paunch’. Besides bagpipe playing, Charlie was renowned for his entertaining, deft sleight-of-hand tricks that had anxious Scotsmen groping in their pockets to assure themselves their wallets were still intact.
He was also the proud President of the Cummins Cricket Club which won the ’58 Great Flinders Cricket Association Shield. This was the start of consecutive Premierships where the Club was presented with the shield after their third consecutive Premiership. Charlie also donated the Batting Average Trophy each year, presenting this to the winning batsman. He was also a supportive and very active member of the Cummins – Yeelanna R.S.L. on the social committee and also a steward. He was part of the team which organised which held the first of several successful Cabarets in ’59. In later years, his skills as a golf player saw him travel to a wide range of competitions, including the Cummins Eyre Peninsula Championships, the Devereaux Cup, and to Port Lincoln, Tumby Bay, Port Neill, Cleve and Lock, winning several competitions including at Tumby Bay in ‘58. Darts were also added to his sporting skills with Charlie playing for Lincoln Blue.
Aged 58, Charlie retired but still provided the locals with a laugh – at his expense. The Port Lincoln Times gleefully headlined in October ’59 ‘Wanted for Murder! Feathers have been flying at Port Lincoln.’ The accompanying article described the destruction a fox had caused to Charlie’s back yard with dead fowls and ducks scattered whilst others were taken alive. Then in June ’65 that ‘There is a proverb that claims the bootmaker's children are always bare footed. I thought of that piece of folklore when I heard of the sad predicament of Charlie Hewitt. Charlie, by the way, retired recently at Port Lincoln where he conducted successful business as a radiator repair expert for some years. While driving out Wanilla way in the leisured luxury of his retirement, his car engine ran as hot as a blast furnace. Investigating, he found the radiator was drier than a hangover victim who got the bait the night before. Charlie Hewitt called in at Denis Kildea's place at Wanilla and pleaded for water. I got a "leak" that Denis Kildea is now toying with the notion of calling himself a radiator expert.’
Always ready to help his community, Charlie was one of four RSL Volunteers who in September ’60 offered to help strip the floors of the Cummins and District Hospital so they could be re-polished. The task was accomplished over three nights and the local press commented that ‘Matron is most appreciative of this kind deed.’ Charlie’s community minded outlook was also reflected in his annual generous donations to the Eyre Peninsula Old Folk’s Home.
Aged 57, Charles died on the 8th July ’66 and was buried in the Cummins Cemetery with a most appropriate tribute ‘Good Soldier, Sportsman and Friend’.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133 2/48th Battalion.