STOERKEL, Charles William
| Service Number: | 1212 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 September 1914, Morphettville, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 48th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | London, England, August 1895 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Natural causes, Sydney, New South Wales, 7 November 1985 |
| Cemetery: |
Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, NSW |
| Memorials: | Orroroo District Roll of Honour WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1212, Morphettville, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Signaller, 1212, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Ceramic, Melbourne | |
| 22 Dec 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Signaller, 1212, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Signaller, 1212, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 3 Mar 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 48th Infantry Battalion | |
| 9 Mar 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 48th Infantry Battalion | |
| 13 Aug 1916: | Wounded Corporal, 1212, 48th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières | |
| 25 Aug 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Regimental Sergeant Major, 48th Infantry Battalion | |
| 16 Sep 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 48th Infantry Battalion | |
| 11 Feb 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 48th Infantry Battalion | |
| 8 Dec 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 48th Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Charles William Stoerkel's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by John Edwards
"No.1212 Lance Corporal Charles William Stoerkel, born Edmonton, England, 1895. Also known as 'Charging Charlie Stoerkel'. He enlisted in the 16th Battalion at Morphettville, South Australia, 11 September 1914. Served in Gallipoli and was transferred to 48th Battalion on the 3rd of March 1916.
Wounded in action, France, 13 August 1916. Promoted 2nd Lieutenant 16 September 1916. Mentioned in Sir Douglas Haig's despatch for distinguished and gallant services and devotion to duty in the field 13 November 1916. Promoted Lieutenant 11 February 1917. Wounded in action again on the 8th of June 1917.
Awarded Military Cross 1917. Wounded for a third time on the 8th of August 1918. Awarded Bar to Military Cross 1918. Returned Adelaide, South Australia, 1919.
Changed name to Charles William TANNER in 1920." - SOURCE (guides.slsa.sa.gov.au)
Biography
Enlisted as a private in 16th Battalion, AIF, on 11 September 1914.
In early 1916 he transferred to 48 Battalion, AIF
Mentioned in Despatches in 1916.
Commissioned in 1917
Awrded Military Cross (MC) 17 June 1917
Bar to Military Cross 3 May 1918
Returned to Australia 1919.
Biography contributed by Orroroo Area School
Charles was born in Edmonton, London, in 1895. His parents were Jacob Stoerkel and Sophia Tanner. He was the only son in his family but had 2 older sisters, Margaretha and Maria. In early 1913 he completed his education in Edmonton and Germany. He saw that there was an advertisement for apprentices on farms in South Australia and migrated along with the first group of 80 other people on the 15th of May 1913 (aboard SS Beltana). Charles was then employed by the Hook Family at Orroroo, South Australia.
On the 11th of September 1914 at Morphettville, South Australia. At just 19 years old, Charles enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). He was allocated to the D Company 16th Australian Infantry. He was given basic training at Morphettville, South Australia, and Broadmeadows, Victoria, and became a signaller. On the 22nd of December 1914, Charles embarked with the Battalion and boarded the HMAT Ceramic A40.
During the war:
Charles was a part of Colonel Monash’s 4th brigade, the 16th Battalion landed at Gallipoli in the late afternoon of the 25th of April 1915. Charles was one of the last people to be evacuated from the peninsula on the 20th of December. Charles was transferred to the newly formed 48th Battalion and was promoted to the junior non-commissioned rank of corporal in the Battalion signals section. Along with the 48th Battalion Charles arrived in France, at the Western Front, in June 1916.
On the 13th of August in the Battle of Pozieres, Charles was wounded in the neck by shrapnel, but still stayed on duty. A few days later he was given a promotion, jumping 3 ranks, becoming Regimental Sergeant Major of the Battalion and in September he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant.
Because of his promotion to Second Lieutenant, in February 1917, Charles was detached to the 12th Infantry Training Battalion at Codford, England as an instructor. In April he was recalled to the Battalion and had to prepare for the battle of Messines as a platoon commander in B company. During the battle, Charles discovered empty trenches twice. On the third venture, Charles was shot through a fence by a German sniper, which caused damage to his palate, gums, teeth, and face. Charles was sent to a hospital in England and rejoined the 48th Battalion in September, just in time for the battle of Passchendaele. He had a brief break in England but was back with the Battalion for Dernancourt, Villers-Bretonneau, and Monument Wood from March to April 1918.
In August he was appointed as Battalion Signals Officer. Also, in August Charles was wounded for the third time, with shrapnel stabbing his stomach, and was sent to a hospital in England once again and rejoined the Battalion in early October.
Charles was awarded the Military Cross (MC) in August 1917 and the Bar in 1918 for gallantry in the field and his leadership. Charles was recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal on the 11th of September 1916. For Charles’s service in the war, he was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal for serving in an active area of war, and the Victory Medal which was awarded to all who served in the armed forces during WW1.
After the war:
Charles married Catherine Valentine in February 1919 at St Catherine’s Church, Edmonton. Catherine came back to Australia with Charles on the SS Katoomba. On his arrival back in South Australia on the 8th of August 1919, Charles was demobilized. Charles and Catherine had two daughters Gwendoline and Christina (also known as Chrissie).
In January 1920 Charles changed his family name from Stoerkel to Tanner (his mother’s maiden name). Charles was struggling to settle back into life after the war and tried living on the Murray River but ended up in Adelaide by the end of 1920. Charles started a dry-cleaning business but sold it and tried going into another soldier settlement just outside of Adelaide.
Charles and his family lived there for 4 years but then moved to Maroubra, New South Wales. Charles had many jobs mostly in the dry-cleaning industry. Charles was suffering from major health issues, both mental and physical. His daughters both passed before Charles, Catherine died in 1945, and Gwendoline in 1966. In 1978 Charles was admitted into the Maroubra Junction Nursing Homen. He lived there for 7 years before he passed away at 90 years old, on the 7th of November 1985. His ashes were placed at the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park.
REFERENCES:
Wikitree, (2008-2023), Charles Christian William (Stoerkel) Tanner MC and Bar (1895 - 1985), WEB ARTICLE, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Stoerkel-4
Australian War Memorial, (2024), HONOURS AND AWARDS Charles William Stoerkel, WEB ARTICLE, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1521279
UAFW Australia, (2004-2016), Charles William Stoerkel, WEB ARTICLE, https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=289521
Australian War Memorial, (27 February 2020), Victory Medal, WEB ARTICLE, https://www.awm.gov.au/learn/memorial-boxes/1/object-list/victory-medal#:~:text=The%20victory%20medal%20was%20awarded,hospitals%20also%20received%20this%20medal.
Imperial War Museum, (2024), British First World War Service Medals, WEB ARTICLE, https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/first-world-war-service-medals#:~:text=To%20qualify%2C%20an%20individual%20had,million%20Victory%20Medals%20were%20issued.
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