Caesar, Henry William

3764 Corporal Henry William Caesar - 51st Battalion

Henry William Caesar was born in Fremantle in 1892 to Frederick and Lilly Caesar. He was one of eleven children born to Frederick and Lilly and the family lived at 183 Queen Victoria St Fremantle.

Henry was educated at Fremantle Boys School and after leaving school he took up work as a plumber.

Henry was also a keen sportsman and with his brother Percy was a member of the Fremantle Rowing Club.

On the 6th November 1915, Henry enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. The medical examiner found him to be fit for service and recorded his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 7 inches tall;

Weight  -133lbs

Chest Measurement - 35-38 inches;

Complexion - Fresh;

Eyes - Blue;

Hair - Light Brown.

After his successful enlistment, Henry was sent to Blackboy Hill training camp and was assigned to the 9th reinforcements to the 28th Battalion AIF. He trained with this group until the 12th February 1916 when they embarked from Fremantle aboard the transport ship HMAT Miltiades. 

After arriving in Egypt, Henry was transferred to a new unit called the 51st Battalion. He trained with this new unit in Egypt until the end of May 1916, then they were shipped across to Marseilles France.

Henry and the 51st Battalion were then entrained for northern France arriving near Armentieres. On the 6th July 1916 Henry was slightly wounded by shrapnel but after only four days in hospital he returned to his unit.

By the end of July 1916 the 51st Battalion were headed for the Somme battlefield and in mid August saw their first action as they attempted to advance towards the German positions at Mouquet Farm. Henry was wounded in the arms by shrapnel and he was evacuated to hospital in France and then on to Brook War Hospital in Woolwich England.

Henry would spend several months in England recovering. Once he left hospital he was still not in a good condition to return to the trenches. He was then put on instructional duty and attended various courses at Tidworth Army Barracks.

He was then put on the staff at the Instructional school at Tidworth and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. The wounds to his arms meant that while he could not return to the trenches on the Western Front, he could be utilised in other ways and so he spent 1917 and 1918 on the Instructional staff in England.

In November 1918, Henry contracted influenza while at Tidworth Barracks though seemingly recovered after a week in hospital.

In January 1919 Henry transferred from Tidworth Barracks to the Australian Training Brigade at Codford. Henry left England on the 28th February 1919 aboard the transport ship Anchises. 

The ship was not going to Fremantle but docked at Albany on the 7th April 1919. Henry then had to make his way home to Fremantle.

On the 27th May 1919 Henry was discharged from the AIF.

Henry resumed his trade of plumbing and helped establish Caesar Plumbing.

Henry Caesar married Gwendoline Evans in North Perth in 1935.

Henry William Caesar died on the 16th May 1984 aged 92