TOMS, Charles Edgar
| Service Number: | 63795 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 February 1918 |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | Field Artillery Brigades |
| Born: | Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia, 6 December 1898 |
| Home Town: | Sutherland, Sutherland Shire, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Technical High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Carter |
| Died: | Hurstville, New South Wales, Australia, 16 December 1964, aged 66 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Woronora Memorial Park, Sutherland, New South Wales |
| Memorials: | Sutherland Memorial School of Arts Honour Roll, Sutherland WW1 Memorial Wall, Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll Of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Feb 1918: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Gunner, 63795, Field Artillery Brigades | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Jun 1918: | Involvement Gunner, 63795, Field Artillery Brigades, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: RMS Orontes embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 5 Jun 1918: | Embarked Gunner, 63795, Field Artillery Brigades, RMS Orontes, Sydney |
Help us honour Charles Edgar Toms's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Sydney Technical High School
Born on the 6th of December 1898, In Marrickville NSW, Charles lived in the Sutherland Shire at Railway Parade 194, with both his parents and 6 siblings(10). While Charles' childhood was influenced by a generation living in a newly federated Australia, his attendance at Sydney Technical Highschool, demonstrated his strong work ethic and knowledge. As a school boy revealed his steady effort, showing well rounded results in arithmetic and geometry. On the 20th February Charles Edgar Toms enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) at the age of 19 years and 2 months (1), his oath “I, Charles Edgar TOMS … swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War … So HELP ME, GOD.”(4) further exemplifying his conviction to Australia’s federation.
Charles embarked on the RMS Orontes on the 6th of June 1918(5), a day prior from when he was admitted to the 35th Field Artillery Brigades unit and given the Gunner Role No. 63795.
Following his embarkment on RMS Orontes, Charles arrived in Britain where he trained vigorously from July to September. However, like many soldiers, Charles' contraction of Influenza on the 16th of October resulted in his abrupt stop to training. After recovery at Heytesbury on the 20th of November of 1918(7), the Armistice between France and Germany was signed on the 11th of November 1918, resulting in his role as a Gunner being redundant. Nonetheless, despite being only entry level, Gunners were essential to the success of artillery, demonstrating the role he could’ve been enforced with, but were halted with the invisible enemy of war, sickness.
Instead of being immediately dismissed back to Australia at the end of the war, Charles was given a crucial post-war duty. In July 1919 he was transferred to the Australian Graves Detachment (AGD)(6), a unit of 1100 men under the command of Major John Eldred Mott(11) to deal with the aftermath of the war. After months of service for the AGD, his work came to an end and embarked on HMHS Plassy back to Australia in September 1919. Later in life back in Sydney, Charles worked as a baker in Blakehurst, and sought military paperwork as evidence of his admission and commitment to Australia. Toms passed away 16 December 1964 and is commemorated at Woronora Memorial Park.
Bibliography
Virtual Australian War Memorial Charles Edgar Toms WW1 -1914-1918. Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/70853 (Accessed: 7 September 2025).
Virtual Australian War Memorial Field Artillery Brigades WW1. Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/248 (Accessed: 7 September 2025).
National Archives of Australia Charles Edgar Toms WW1. Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=8392077&isAv=N (Accessed: 7 September 2025).
FamilySearch Charles Edgar Toms. Available at: https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L5XF-TLY/charles-edgar-toms-1899-1964 (Accessed: 7 September 2025).
The AIF Project Charles Edgar Toms. Available at: https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=302529 (Accessed: 7 September 2025).
Memories Charles Edgar Toms 1898–1964. Available at: https://app.memories.net/memorials/charlesedgar-toms-64115 (Accessed: 7 September 2025).
Endnotes
(1)Charles Edgar Toms' enlistment form confirms he was 19 years and 2 months old when he joined (National Archives of Australia, Page 3).
(2)The heavy mortar was somewhat ungraciously nicknamed The flying pig (Virtual War Memorial, Field Artillery Brigades)
(3)A howitzer fires at both a conventional and a ‘high angle’ trajectory (ie above 45 degrees), which is its most important attribute. (Virtual War Memorial, Field Artillery Brigades)
(5)“I, Charles Edgar TOMS … swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War … So HELP ME, GOD.” (Memories, Charles Toms Edgar)
(6)Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board RMS Orontes on 5 June 1918 (The AIF project)
(7)Transferred to the Australian Graves Detachment (AGD) (National Archives of Australia, Casualty form service Page 22)
(8)After recovery, at Heytesbury on the 20th of November of 1918 (National Archives of Australia, Casualty form service Page 21)
(7)Its portable design was capable of firing shrapnel, smoke, gas and high explosive shells up to 6 kilometres. (Virtual War Memorial, Field Artillery Brigades)
(9)was an Australian baker and carter(Family Search, Toms Charles Edgar)
(10)With both his parents and 6 siblings (Family Search, Toms Charles Edgar)
(11)Command of Major John Eldred Mott (Virtual War Memorial, Australian Grave Detachment)
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