HARMAN, Charles James
| Service Numbers: | 222, 251051 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 January 1916, Macarthur, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Squadron Leader |
| Last Unit: | RAAF Headquarters (Melbourne / Brisbane) |
| Born: | Macarthur, Victoria, Australia, 22 October 1878 |
| Home Town: | St Kilda East, Port Phillip, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Mechanic |
| Died: | Died of Illness, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 May 1943, aged 64 years |
| Cemetery: |
Springvale War Cemetery, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 14 Jan 1916: | Enlisted Private, 222, Australian Flying Corps (AFC), Macarthur, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Mar 1916: | Involvement Sergeant, 222, No. 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Orsova embarkation_ship_number: A67 public_note: '' | |
| 16 Mar 1916: | Embarked Sergeant, 222, No. 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, HMAT Orsova, Melbourne | |
| 1 Oct 1916: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches, AFC / RFC operations Western Front / Middle East | |
| 27 Sep 1918: | Promoted Second Lieutenant, Australian Flying Corps (AFC) | |
| 27 Dec 1918: | Promoted Lieutenant, Australian Flying Corps (AFC) | |
| 10 Mar 1920: | Discharged Lieutenant, Australian Flying Corps (AFC) |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Squadron Leader, 251051 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 1941: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Squadron Leader, 251051, RAAF Headquarters (Melbourne / Brisbane) | |
| 2 May 1943: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Squadron Leader, 251051, RAAF Headquarters (Melbourne / Brisbane) | |
| Date unknown: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Squadron Leader, 251051 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From How We Served
The final resting place for; - 222 & 251051 Squadron Leader Charles James Harman MSM, MID, of Macarthur and East St. Kilda, Victoria who prior to his enlistment for War Service on the 12th of July 1915 had been employed as a mechanic.
Charles was posted to the Central Flying School at Point Cook, for further training, and by the 16th of March 1916 he was embarked for Egypt and further training. When on the 24th of August he was promoted to Flight Sergeant, but at his own request he reverted to Sergeant. Charles’s service in the desert would be continuous, and at the start of October he was officially Mentioned in Despatches.
Whilst serving with 67th Squadron, Charles received his Commission as a Second Lieutenant. Serving on, Charles was transferred to the 1st Squadron, and by the 25th of January 1919, now promoted to full Lieutenant, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.
With the war now over, Charles continued to serve with the Australian Flying Corps, and eventually was sent to England for further service, during which he was absorbed into the newly formed Royal Air Force on the 1st of April 1919.
Charles would remain on duty with training establishments, until he received his orders to begin his repatriation back to Australia, departing England on the 28th of October.
Following his arrival back in Melbourne in mid-December, Charles’s official appointment as a Commissioned officer with the 1st AIF was terminated on the 10th of Mach 1920. In between the War’s, Charles continued to serve with the Royal Australian Air Force, and was returned to England as Assistant Liaison Officer on the 23rd of August 1927. Having reached retirement age, Charles was placed on the Retired Officers List in 1930.
With the onset of a second World War, Charles was called up for further service with the Royal Australian Air Force on the 15th of December 1939.
Further promoted to Squadron Leader, Charles was serving on Liaison Duties as a Staff officer between Royal Australian Air Force Head Quarters, and the Contract Board’s Department of Supply and Development, an appointment which he still retained when he was evacuated sick to the 6th Royal Australian Air Force Hospital. Charles died whilst still being hospitalized due to illness, aged 64, on the 2nd of May 1943.
Following his passing, Squadron Leader Charles Harman MSM, MID, a veteran of two World Wars, was formally laid to rest with in Springvale War Cemetery, Victoria
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