Howard, Herbert Charles
386 Private Herbert Charles Howard - 4th Machine Gun Battalion AIF
Herbert Charles Howard was born in Little Wymondley Hertfordshire England in January 1891 to John and Betsy Howard, being one of ten siblings in the family. His Mother died in 1904, leaving his father to bring up the children.
Herbert was educated and grew up in Little Wymondley as the 1901 and 1911 census lists him still living in the village. By 1911 he was a 20 year old Carter.
On the 1st August 1913 Herbert left England aboard the transport ship Orvieto and set sail for Australia and on arrival he took up residence in Fremantle. His occupation was given as a Waiter and he was living at Bech Street Fremantle.
On the 20th March 1916 Herbert enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force in Fremantle. He was passed as fit, with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 5 & 1/2 inches tall;
Weight - 130lbs;
Chest Measurement - 33-37 inches;
Complexion - Fresh;
Eyes - Brown;
Hair - Dark.
Upon his successful enlistment Herbert was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.60 Training Depot. He was trained in the basics of infantry for the next few weeks and then on the 1st April 1916 he was transferred to the Cyclist Company reinforcements. He trained with this group in WA for the next few months.
On the 18th July 1916 Herbert and his group entrained to Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Seang Bee. The ship then set sail for England, reaching Plymouth on the 9th September 1916. The men were then disembarked and sent to the Cyclist training camp at Parkhouse.
Herbert remained at Parkhouse for a month and was then transferred to the Cyclist Training Battalion at Chiseldon. Herbert would be here for several months and on the 7th December 1916 he got married in England to Ellen Mabel Sharp.
Herbert would remain at Chiseldon Camp until the 22nd May 1917. He was then transferred to the Machine Gun Training camp at Grantham. Herbert remained here for the next four months, being trained in the use of the Vickers Machine Gun.
On the 11th October 1917 Herbert was sent across to France and was initially sent to the Machine Gun Training Depot at Camiers. He had a few days there and was then taken on strength of the 24th Machine Gun Company on the 17th October 1917. This was a machine gun company of the 4th Division AIF and they were in the line near Ypres and Passchendaele when Herbert joined them.
Herbert had a harsh introduction to the battlefield amid the mud of the Ypres battlefield. In December 1917 the 4th Australian Division was moved to Peronne on the Somme, before returning to Belgium in January 1918. They would then help hold the front line south east of Ypres near Hollebeke.
As a result of the German offensive of March 21st 1918 which broke through the British front line further south, the Australian Divisions were sent towards the Somme to help stop this German advance.
The 24th machine Gun Company, was attached to the 12th Infantry Brigade, and moved to the Albert and Dernancourt sector. The 24th MGC provided machine gun fire support in stopping the German advance in this sector though a section of the 24th Machine Gun Company were taken prisoner when their post was overrun in the German advance.
On the 1st April 1918 Herbert's unit, the 24th machine Gun Company, amalgamated with the three other Machine Gun Companies of the 4th Division (4th, 12th, & 13th) to form the 4th Machine Gun Battalion.
In April 1918 the 24th Machine Gun Company remained in the Somme River sector and Villers-Bretonneux sector. On the 21st April 1918, one of the 24th Machine Gun's brought down the Red Baron, Manfred Von Richthofen when he was flying low over their sector. Three days later the 24th Machine Gun Company supported the 13th Infantry Brigade in their recapture of Villers-Bretonneux.
Howard's unit were in the Somme and Villers-Bretonneux area till July 1918. On the 4th July 1918 Herbert and his unit took part in the successful capture of Hamel village. Herbert again came through this action unscathed.
Herbert then took part in the successful advance on August 8th 1918 on the Villers-Bretonneux front. The 4th Machine Gun Battalion provided fire support for the infantry advance on the southern side of the Somme River. During the advance they were getting heavy fire from the flank as the northern side of the Somme had not been cleared of the Germans, yet the 4th Division managed to take their objectives.
For the next few weeks, the Herbert and his unit were constantly on the advance. On the 24th August 1918 while they were in reserve positions near Bayonvillers, the Germans shelled the area with gas and Herbert got a whiff of gas before he was able to put on his gas mask.
He was sent to hospital at Rouen where he was treated for several days. On the 6th September 1918 he was then transferred to England for further treatment. On arrival in England Herbert was sent to a Military Hospital at Exeter. Herbert remained here till the 1st October 1918.
He had recovered enough to be given a two week furlough and on the 15th October 1918 reported into No.4 Command Depot Camp at Hurdcott. Herbert was still at Hurdcott when the Armistice was announced on the 11th November 1918.
On the 9th December 1918 Herbert was given leave to study agriculture in a period of non military employment. He died this till February 1919. He was then posted to AIF HQ in London. He would remain here for the next few months while he waited for him and his wife to be assigned transport back to Australia.
On the 9th August 1919 at Liverpool Herbert and Ellen boarded the transport ship Ceramic and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle on the 20th September 1919.
Herbert was discharged from the AIF on the 6th November 1919. After their return home they took up residence at Carrington Street East Fremantle/Palmyra. Herbert had now taken up employment with the Fremantle Tramways as a Tram Conductor.
A daughter, Isabelle was born in 1923.
1925 Carrington St Palmyra - tram conductor;
News came through to Hernert that his father died in England in 1933.
Herbert was living in Carrington Street Palmyra through the 1940's, then the family had a few years in Albany before returning to live at 234 Carrington Street Hilton.
Herbert died on the 7th November 1964 aged 74. He was cremated at Fremantle Cemetery.