Erwood, Charles

No.2131 – Corporal Charles Erwood – 11^th Battalion AIF

Charles Erwood was born in Echuca Victoria in 1880 to Mr. and Mrs. Edward Erwood. Charles was educated in Victoria and in 1902 he travelled to Western Australia and subsequently resided in both East Fremantle and Northampton. From 1906 onwards he lived for a time with his sister Ella and her husband Joseph Pickering in King Street East Fremantle. Previously when he was 20 years old Charles enlisted and served with the WA Mounted Infantry in the Boer War in South Africa. After his return he worked as a contractor through the metropolitan and country areas.

On the 26^th April 1915 Charles went to Blackboy Hill Camp to enlist in the AIF. He was passed as fit with the medical officer finding him to be 5 feet 5 ½ inches tall; weight of 145 lbs; chest measurement of 35-37 inches; fair complexion; blue eyes and light brown hair. His religious denomination was Church of England. Charles was assigned to the 6^th Reinforcements to the 11^th Battalion AIF. He trained with them in WA through May and at the beginning of June they received their orders to depart for service overseas. On the 6^th June 1915 Charles and his group boarded H.M.A.T. “Geelong” in Fremantle Harbour and set sail for Egypt.

After arriving in Egypt the men were disembarked and were trained through July 1915. On the 31^st July Charles as part of the 6^th Reinforcements received orders to leave for Gallipoli. On the 31^st July 1915 they boarded the transport ship in Alexandria and made their way to the Dardanelles. Charles was officially taken on strength of the 11^th Battalion on the 4^th August 1915. The 11^th Battalion was then fighting at Leane’s Trench. They had captured this position from the Turks and were fighting a desperate defence to keep it. Charles had only been there a week when he was hit in the knee by shrapnel. He was evacuated back to 2^nd Field Ambulance and then to the 1^st Australian Casualty Clearing Station. Charles was evacuated back to the Hospital Ship for transfer to England.

On the 23^rd August 1915 he arrived in England and was admitted to the 3^rd London General Hospital. He remained in hospital until November 1915 when he was transferred to the A & NZ base at Weymouth Camp. He was given leave and after his return was seconded to the AIF Depot HQ. Charles remained working here through 1916 and into 1917. On the 7^th February 1917 Charles was transferred to No.1 Command Depot where he remained for another six weeks. On the 25^th March 1917 Charles was transferred to the 70^th Battalion of the newly forming 6^th Division AIF. This division was being formed in England and Charles spent the next few months with the 70^th Battalion. He was promoted to Lance Corporal and then to Corporal. On the 9^th August he was given a reprimand by his C.O. Lt-Colonel Denton for trespassing on the Railway Line.

It soon became clear that there were not enough men to fill 6^th AIF Divisions and so this newly forming Division was broken up. Charles was therefore returned to the 11^th Battalion AIF, where he was taken on strength on the 16^th October 1917. The 11^th Battalion were then in Belgium having just taken part in the Third Battle of Ypres. He served with them in the Flanders/Messines region through the winter of 1917/18. On the 13^th March 1918 he was granted leave to Paris, returning on the 27^th March. On his return Charles would have found the 11^th Battalion preparing to move south to the Somme as the Germans had broken through and the other four AIF Divisions had all since departed for that sector.

The 11^th eventually received their orders to move south and they just arrived in the vicinity of Amiens when they had orders to immediately move again to the north as the Germans had just broken through the lines there also. They were put onto trains and sent to the region around Hazebrouck. The 1^st Australian division joined up with the remnants of the retreating British Army and mounted a solid defence against the Germans. They managed to stop their advance and before too long were retaking land off the Germans. The 11^th Battalion served in this sector around Merris and Meteren from April to July 1918.

On the 21^st June Charles had been sent to hospital ill with influenza, and after a few weeks recovery was well enough to rejoin the 11^th Battalion on the 10^th July 1918. Their time in this sector was drawing to a close as they had received orders to head south to rejoin the other Australian Divisions on the Somme. A large offensive had been planned for August 8^th and while the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th & 5^th Australian Divisions would capture the first days objectives, the 1^st Division would be coming in to relieve them and continue the advance on August 9^th & 10^th. The advance on August 8^th was very successful with the Australians gaining their objectives. The 11^th Battalion on August 10^th were tasked with the capture of the French village of Lihons. The Germans had their defence well sited with machine guns and artillery. The men of the 11^th advanced and were badly hit by heavy fire, but still managed to capture their objective. However casualties were very heavy with many killed and wounded. Charles had been badly hit, suffering wounds to the chest, neck, back and arms. He was evacuated back to the 55^th Casualty Clearing Station but the wounds proved too severe and he died on the 11^th August 1918.

Charles was buried at Daours Communal Cemetery Extension in plot III.E.39.

His effects were sent to his parents in Bendigo while his sister Ella in East Fremantle also received some items he had left her in his will. Charles was not the only member of his family to serve in the war as one of his Sister’s was a Nurse, serving in England and France, while another Brother, Robert Erwood had been serving with the 2^nd Machine Gun Company but had been killed at Pozieres on the 21^st August 1916. Unfortunately Robert Erwood has no known grave.