Daniels, Charles Arthur
No.2137 – L/Cpl Charles Arthur Daniels – 28th Battalion AIF
Charles Arthur Daniels was born in 1887 in Fortitude Valley Brisbane, Queensland to Arthur and Sarah Ann Daniels. He went to state school in Fortitude Valley and after leaving school took up work as a candle maker. At an unknown date he left Queensland with his parents and took up residence in Mary Street North Fremantle.
While in Fremantle he joined the 11th Australian Infantry Regiment where he rose to the rank of Corporal. He also played Australian Rules football for the North Fremantle Football Club. The 1910 electoral roll shows Charlie living in Bay Road North Fremantle with the occupation of Machinist. Unfortunately, in 1912 his father Arthur died in North Fremantle.
After his father’s death he resigned from serving in the 11th regiment and went to work in Kalgoorlie. On the 17th July 1915 Charlie went to the Kalgoorlie Recruitment Office and offered his services to the AIF. He was passed as fit with the medical officer finding him to be 5 feet 7 inches in height; weight of 134 lbs; chest measurement of 33-35 inches; fair complexion; light brown eyes and dark hair. His religious denomination was Methodist.
Charlie was initially allotted to No.17 Depot though on the 16th August 1915 at Blackboy Hill Camp he was assigned to the 4th Reinforcements to the 28th Battalion. He trained with this group in WA until the end of September 1915. On the 1st October 1915 Charlie and his reinforcement group boarded the H.M.A.T. “Hororata” in Fremantle Harbour and embarked on their journey to Egypt. After their arrival in Egypt, Charlie was not sent on to Gallipoli but kept in the reinforcement camp. He only joined the 28th Battalion after they returned to Egypt after the Gallipoli evacuation. He was officially taken on strength on the 19th January 1916 at the 28th Battalion camp at Tel-el-Kebir.
Charlie trained with the 28th Battalion until mid March 1916 as the Battalion was ordered to proceed to Alexandria. On the 16th March 1916 they boarded the transport ship and made their way to France, disembarking at Marseilles on the 21st March 1916. The 28th Battalion, as part of the 2nd Division made their way to northern France where they went into the line to the south of Armentieres. They were to spend the next few months in this area where they would become accustomed to front line conditions. On the 19th May 1916 Charlie suffered a Hernia and was taken back to the 6th Field Ambulance and then to the 8th Casualty Clearing Station. His injury was assessed and he was sent to the 26th General Hospital on the French Coast. He stayed here for two weeks and was then evacuated back to England on the 4th June 1916. Upon arrival in England he was admitted to No.2 Southern General Hospital at Bishop’s Knoll Bristol. He stayed in hospital through to July. On the 25th July Charlie was transferred to Woodcote Park Convalescent Depot at Epsom and stayed here for a further month.
Charlie’s Hernia meant that he had missed the Somme battles of July and August in which his Battalion suffered horrendous casualties. On the 24th August Charlie marched into No.1 Command Depot at Perham Downs Camp and joined the 7th Training Battalion where he stayed until October 1916. On the 14th October 1916 Charlie left England and proceeded overseas to France where he marched into the 2nd Australian Base Depot at Etaples.
He spent two weeks at this base and then marched out to rejoin the 28th Battalion, being officially taken on strength on the 30th October 1916. Shortly after his arrival Charlie was involved in the attack on Flers on November 3rd, though survived unscathed. He remained with the 28th Battalion through the French Winter on 1916/17 and was promoted to Lance Corporal on the 28th January 1917. In February 1917 the Germans began to withdraw from their positions to the Hindenburg Line. They conducted a fighting withdrawal and hotly contested the advance of the Australians and British. The Australians fought bravely to capture the Hindenburg Line Outpost villages.
On the 26th March 1917 the 28th Battalion supported the 26th Battalion to capture Lagnicourt. A party of the 28th Battalion of around 26 men led by Lt Jerry supported the 26th Battalion and helped defeat a German attack though only Lt Jerry and one other man returned, L/Cpl Charlie Daniels being among those killed.
It seems that Charlie was later recovered and buried in Queant Rd Cemetery but the exact spot of his grave was lost and so is commemorated with a special headstone that states “Believed to be buried in this Cemetery”. Several other men of the 28th Battalion killed at Lagnicourt have the same situation in regard to their graves. After Charlie’s death his mother Sarah received a pension of 40/- per fortnight as a result of the death of Charlie and another son, Pte William Daniels of the 49th Battalion.