Dick, Charles Hamilton
No.6309 – Private Charles Hamilton Dick – 28th Battalion AIF
Charles Hamilton Dick was born in Fremantle WA to Hamilton and Pauline Dick in 1897. His father Hamilton Dick served with the Soudan Contingent from NSW in 1884/85. The family lived at Harbour Road South Fremantle and Charles was educated at Fremantle Boys School and showed an interest in the military as he was a member of the Navel Cadets in Fremantle as well as the 86A militia. After leaving school Charlie took up work as a shipping clerk.
On the 7th August 1916 aged 19 Charlie enlisted into the AIF at the Perth Drill Hall. He was passed as fit with the medical examiner finding him to be 5 feet 9 ½ inches tall; weight of 152 lbs; chest measurement of 36-40 inches; fresh complexion; blue eyes and dark hair. His religious denomination was Church of England.
Initially allotted to No.88 Depot, on the 16th September 1916 Charlie was assigned to the 18th Reinforcements to the 28th Battalion AIF. He trained with this group in WA until they embarked for service overseas on the 29th December 1916 aboard the transport ship H.M.A.T. “Persic”. For the voyage Charlie was appointed a temporary Lance Corporal. On the 3rd March 1917 the ship docked at Devonport England and the men were marched into the 7th Training Battalion at Rollestone Camp. Upon arrival in camp Charlie reverted back to being a Private. The next few months would be spent training in camp though Charlie got into trouble on the 23rd April when he went absent without leave for a day. As a punishment he was confined to camp for one day and had to forfeit two days pay.
On the 14th June 1917 Charlie left camp and proceeded to Southampton where they would board a transport ship for France. Arriving at Le Havre on the 15th June he was sent to the 2nd Australian Division Base Depot where he was to spend a further two weeks. Charlie was taken on strength of the 28th Battalion on the 2nd July 1917. The 28th Battalion were then resting out of the line and wouldn’t return to the front till September 1917. In September and October 1917 the 28th Battalion would take part in the Third Battle of Ypres. Charlie survived the battalion’s first foray in this battle on the 20th September 1917 when they took all their objectives. On October 4th 1917 the 28th Battalion took part in the Battle of Broodseinde Ridge, during which battle Charlie was killed. A private M.J. Moore wrote about Charlie that;
“I saw him killed near Zonnebeke. He was caught by a piece of shell which hit him about the head, death being instantaneous. He was on his way to the ammunition dump at the time to assist in carrying ammunition. I knew him fairly well, he had not been with us very long. He was buried in the field, near the Zonnebeke Church. I saw his grave which was marked with a Cross bearing his No. name and unit.”
A Private G.J. Hall also stated that;
“Dick, I and another chap had dug ourselves in the previous evening on the Ypres side of Zonnebeke as we were to form part of a support next morning to carry ammunition up to the front line. We hadn’t started more than 10 yards on our first journey on the 4th about 3.am it was quite dark when a shell dropped amongst us. I was a little bit behind and don’t know How I escaped but all the rest were killed or wounded. Dick was three or four yards in front of me perhaps more but it killed him. Later I helped to bury him in a shell hole nearby but there was no service nor did I see any crosses put up during the next few days we remained in the district.”
Unfortunately after the war Charlie Dick’s grave could not be located and he is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres. After the loss of her only son Pauline Dick would receive a pension of 40/- per fortnight.