Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Private Charles Ernest Howlett VX37150 2/7th Battalion 2/AIF

Charles Howlett was born in Menzies WA in December 1900, and he enlisted in the AIF in July 1940.  Charles was the eldest child of George and Clara Howlett and at the time of enlisting he was single and a station hand working in Victoria.  Charles was the eldest of seven children born to the couple. His brothers Edgar Alexander Howlett VX40740, Albert Frederick Howlett VX105863 and Walter Harold Howlett VX118778 all served in the 2/AIF.

At 39, Charles was well over the age of most men allocated to Infantry Battalions, however after training he was assigned as a reinforcement for the 2/7th battalion, and he embarked for the Middle East in April 1941. He was probably  fortunate that he  arrived in the Middle East too late to participate in the Greek and Crete Campaigns where the 2/7th lost over half of its men killed, wounded or taken prisoner.  He eventually joined the survivors of the battalion in Palestine June 1941 where it served on Garrison duties until it embarked for Australia in March 1942.

With the entry of Japan into the war the battalion had been recalled to Australia, however Winsten Churchill controversially had the 6th Division diverted to Ceylon, against the wishes of the Australian Government.

On the 9th of April 1942 Charles a member of a guard manning a road block near the village of Dodandura in southern Ceylon (Now Sri Lanka) when he was struck and  killed by a civilian motor vehicle. He was initially buried in the Dadella cemetery in Galle, however post war his body was exhumed and reburied in the CWGC Plot in the Liveramenthu Cemetery in Colombo.