DAU, Charles William
| Service Number: | 5073 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 February 1916, Hamilton |
| Last Rank: | Sapper |
| Last Unit: | 6th Field Company Engineers |
| Born: | Wandong, Victoria, Australia, 6 July 1885 |
| Home Town: | Wandong, Mitchell, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Ganger |
| Died: | Wounds, 41st Stationary Hospital, Pont-Remy, France, 26 July 1918, aged 33 years |
| Cemetery: |
Pont-Remy British Cemetery I.A.8, Pont Remy British Cemetery, Pont Remy, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Kilmore War Memorial, Wandong War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5073, 8th Infantry Battalion, Hamilton | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 5073, 8th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Suffolk embarkation_ship_number: A23 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 5073, 8th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suffolk, Melbourne | |
| 2 Oct 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Sapper, 6th Field Company Engineers | |
| 22 Jul 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Sapper, 5073, 6th Field Company Engineers, Beaulencourt, Gassed | |
| 26 Jul 1918: | Involvement Sapper, 5073, 6th Field Company Engineers, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 5073 awm_unit: 6th Field Company, Australian Engineers awm_rank: Sapper awm_died_date: 1918-07-26 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Michael Silver
German immigrant Joachim Dau married Martha Rye, a Geelong lass, in 1865 and they raised a family of seventeen children - first at Somerton and later at Wandong, Victoria. One son, Frederick (under surname Dow), served with the 5th Victorian Mounted Rifles during the Boer War and was killed in action in South Africa in 1901 whilst three others served in the military - Charles and Walter in World War 1 and Arthur (also under the surname Dow) in both World Wars.
Charles William Dau (1885-1918), born at Wandong on 6 July 1885, enlisted at Hamilton on 4 February 1916, aged 30. He gave his religion as Church of England. A railway ganger, Charles had married Edith May Patton at Wandong in 1908. He commenced training at the 14th Depot Battery at Ballarat, but on 22 March was transferred to Broadmeadows and allocated to the 16th Reinforcements, 8th Battalion, Private No. 5073, 2nd Infantry Brigade.
Charles embarked at Melbourne aboard the Suffolk on 1 April 1916. On 28 May he embarked at Alexandria for England with the Engineers Training Depot and after further training as a Sapper, left for France on 23 September. By 2 October he had reached Belgium and was transferred from the 2nd Field Company Engineers to the 6th Field Company Engineers.
In December 1917 he had leave in England, then continued to serve with the 6th Field Company Engineers until 25 June 1918, when he was briefly detached to Divisional Headquarters for guard duty.
On 1 July 1918 he rejoined the 6th Field Company Engineers, but was gassed at Beaulencourt in France on 22 July and admitted to the 6th Australian Field Ambulance. He was then transferred to the 47th Casualty Clearing Station and from there to the 41st Stationary Hospital at Pont Remy, where he died of gas poisoning on 26 July 1918.
Charles’ brother Walter wrote from England seeking further details of his death. In response, the hospital reported that Charles:
‘was gassed at 10.30 pm on 22-7-18 and admitted to this hospital on 23-7-18, suffering from Gas Shell Mustard and Phosgene. On admission the disability was of a serious nature, and on the days following his condition became very much worse. On 25-7-18 Broncho Pneumonia – following Gas Shell Poisoning – supervened; and with respiratory distress having increased, death took place at 8.45 am on 26-7-18.’
Charles was buried in Pont Remy British Cemetery, 4½ miles south-east of Abbeville. He left a widow and three children – Thelma, Frederick and Lily.
Source: http://www.westgarthtown.org.au/ww1/families/winter.html
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