Bamkin, Charles George

2306 - Private Charles George Bamkin - 10th Light Horse Regiment & Imperial Camel Corps

Charles George Bamkin was born in Fremantle WA in 1898 to Frederick and Florence Bamkin. He was one of several siblings, with Ernest and Howard (born 1900), Florence (1902), Frederick (1905) and Myrtle (1907).

The family lived at 86 Lefroy Road South Fremantle.

Charlie was educated locally and after leaving school took up work as a Dairyman. During this time he was also serving in the 86A Infantry Cadets, which was based in Fremantle. As part of the 86A Cadets early in the war, they were put to work guarding German internees.

In an oral history recorded at Fremantle in the 1980's Charlie recalled this time period of his life;

When 16 and a half years old left home to join the Australian Army but spent 6 to 7 months on Rottnest Island guarding the Germans and Austrians interned on the island. Left for Rottnest at the East Street Jetty. The German and Austrian internees were always fighting. We received training from British Reservists. Thirty young men learnt how to handle machine guns, patrolled compound and worked in cookhouse. My uniform was altered as was too big. The internees were then shipped to Sydney NSW. Transferred to troop ships by ferries – Zephyr, Manx Fairy. 2000 internees sent to Holdsworthy Camp. The internees lived in huts in barbed wire compounds. Visited Blue Mountains and Bondi Beach and then returned to Fremantle. Asked to join AIF and permission required from mother as father had passed away. Joined the Light Horse and posted to Blackboy Hill Camp and later attended a NCO course at Belmont racecourse."

On the 23rd December 1915 Charlie went to Perth to enlist into the AIF. He was accepted as fit for service, with the medical officer recording Charlie's attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 6 & 3/4 inches tall;

Weight - 124lbs

Chest Measurement (not recorded)

Complexion - Dark;

Eyes - Hazel;

Hair - Dark Brown

Religious denomination - Church of England

On the 5th January 1916 Charlie went into camp at Blackboy Hill and was assigned to No.40 Training Depot. Five days later he was transferred to the 15th Reinforcements to the 10th Light Horse Regiment. 

He trained with this group for the next few months, and on the 16th May 1916, Charlie and his reinforcement group boarded the HMAT Surada and set sail for the Middle East. After arriving in the Middle East, Charlie was sent to the 3rd Light Horse Training Regiment. The 10th Light Horse was currently at it's full complement of men so instead Charlie took a transfer to the Imperial Camel Corps.

Charlie was initially attached to No.3 Company Imperial Camel Corps but in November 1916 this was changed to the 1st Anzac Battalion ICC.

Charlie served at all the actions of the Imperial Camel Corps through 1917 and 1918 including Gaza and came through unscathed. In his oral history Charlie left the following comments on Gaza;

The battalion was nearly wiped out following a tank over 4 miles of open country and while the tank did a good job of keeping the Turks under control, once it was blown up we were copping all the concentrated fire – rifles, machine guns, shells. {We} got into the redoubt where the tank blew up. By 4pm only 200 left of the 500 that went in. Many taken prisoner in the redoubt as they were surrounded…A British division counter-attacked that night and some of us made a break for it. We got to a Wadi which was full of wounded and dying. Made for HQ and we passed many dead camels killed from bombs. I was Corporal at that time. We gathered up as many men as we could and met a British unit who told us that the Camel Corps had gone 6 miles back…We had only been living on Nestles milk which we had taken off dead Tommies as we were so hungry and thirsty. The British officer of this unit got an Indian Sergeant to get us food. Tins of goat meat to make Chapattis…We tried to find out where the rest of the unit was. Out of 500 after 8 days marched 102 blokes. Rest killed, wounded or POW."

When the Imperial Camel Corps was disbanded in July 1918, Charlie was transferred to the 14th Light Horse Regiment. He saw out the war with this unit.

In January 1919, Charlie was detached for duty with the 97th Dentist section of the British Army, but on the 28th April 1919 he returned to the 14th Light Horse.

In June 1919 Charlie applied for the AIF educational scheme and so went for a period of time to England. The course he applied to attend was on dental mechanics. This was with Williams Teeth Company Ltd at Grays Inn Road London.

While in England on the 15th September 1919 Charlie got married to Doris Slaney. The wedding took place at St Andrew's Church Islington London

Charlie disembarked at Fremantle on the 13th January 1920.

While Charlie had survived the war, the Bamkin family hadn't come through unscathed as Charlie's Uncle Bert Bamkin had been killed in action at Bullecourt in 1917 while serving with the 23rd Battalion.

After arriving home in 1920 Charlie was hopitalised with tonsilitis. After leaving hospital and setting up a family home, Charlie ran a delivery business, specialising in fresh  produce. (Photo below of Charlie and his delivery wagon)

A son, Eric was born in 1921 and the family continued to live in Fremantle, residing at 100 South Street. A son called ken and a daughter, Audrey Lillian soon followed

They did move for a time and Charlie later ran a wheat farm which they lost during the depression.

In WW2 their eldest son Eric joined the Air Force and rose to the rank of Wing Commander in 454 Squadron RAAF when he was killed in June 1943. He is buried at Tobruk War Cemetery. Another son Ken saw service in the Navy. In 1945 Charles became Manager of the Commercial Travellers Club in Fremantle and worked there for the next 18 years. Doris died in 1983 and Charles in 1990 aged 92.