Jeffrey, Charles Henry
457 Private Charles Henry Jeffrey - 28th Battalion AIF
Charles Henry Jeffrey was born in Footscray Victoria on the 5th July 1891 to Mary and Frank Jeffrey.
He was educated in Victoria and in the 1900's the family came to Western Australia and took up residence in Fremantle. Mary Ann Jeffrey lived at 150 Mary Street Fremantle (later renumbered to 76 Mary Street and renamed to Solomon Street) while Charlie was a Wagon Builder living in Bellevue Terrace Fremantle.
On the 11th March 1915 Charlie enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was found to be fit for enlistment with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;
Height - 4 feet 8 inches tall;
Weight - 140lbs;
Chest Measurement - 33 inches;
Complexion - Dark;
Eyes - Hazel;
Hair - Dark Brown.
Upon his successful enlistment Charlie was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.11 Depot Training Company. He had a month being taken through the basic infantry training and on the 16th April 1915 he was assigned to 'C' Company of the newly forming 28th Battalion AIF.
The 28th battalion trained in WA until the end of June 1915. On the 29th June 1915 the 28th Battalion embarked from Fremantle WA aboard the transport ship H.M.A.T. “Ascanius” and made their way to Egypt.
Upon arrival in Egypt the 28th Battalion spent August 1915 training in the desert and in early September made their way to Alexandria and were embarked for Gallipoli. On arrival, the 28th Battalion were sent an area known as the Apex and also served at Rhododendron Spur.
While the 28th Battalion had missed the main action in August 1915, they still sustained regular casualties through Turkish fire and sickness. However Charlie remained with the 28th Battalion through their entire time at Gallipoli.
In December 1915 Gallipoli was evacuated and Charlie and his unit were withdrawn to Lemnos Island before returning to Egypt in January 1916. The 28th Battalion then remained in Egypt for the next several weeks, either training or holding sectors of the Suez Canal defence line.
On the 16th March 1916 the 28th Battalion arrived at Alexandria Harbour and boarded a troopship to France, arriving at Marseilles on the 21st March 1916. After being disembarked the men were sent to the north of France where they arrived at Armentieres. They spent the next few months in this sector while they gained experience on the Western Front, before moving to the Somme in July 1916.
On the 29th July 1916 the 28th Battalion took part in and advance against German positions at Pozieres. The 28th Battalion ran into heavy machine gun fire and thick barbed wire on the German positions. The survivors made it to the German line and found an unbroken stretch of thick barbed wire and as they were attempting to get through, many men were shot down.
Charlie was one of the fortunate men to survive this assault unscathed though there was to be no rest for the 28th Battalion. The next attack being ordered for August 4th, and while the 28th Battalion; due to their heavily reduced numbers were kept in reserve, when the other battalions got into difficulty the 28th Battalion were again sent forward and amazingly they managed to capture the majority of the heavily defended windmill position. Charlie again survived this latest attack and further action against Mouquet Farm in August 1916.
The 28th Battalion then spent several weeks in Belgium before returning to the Somme battlefield in October 1916. Charlie was involved in an attack on Flers on November 5th 1916, though again survived unscathed however during a follow up action on the 16th November 1916 he was wounded and was taken Prisoner of War by the Germans.
After treatment in a German field hospital he was sent into Germany. In January 1917 he wrote to the Red Cross from a hospital at Reserve Lazarett 111 Johanistall;
'I am at present a Prisoner of War in Germany in a hospital at the above address. I am writing to ask if you would be kind enough to send me out a parcel including cigarettes and tobacco. Hoping you will oblige.'
Charlie would spend the remainder of the war in Germany as a Prisoner of War. After the Armistice was signed on the 11th November 1918 Charlie was sent to England, arriving there on the 15th December 1918.
Upon arrival he was sent to AIF HQ in London and was given a month's leave and Charlie was able to spend Christmas and New Year enjoying a break from military life. On the 20th January 1919 Charlie reported into No.1 Command Depot Camp at Sutton Veny. He would remain here while waiting to be assigned a berth on a troopship home.
On the 3rd March 1919 Charlie boarded the transport ship Euripides and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle on the 10th April 1919. After being disembarked Charlie was sent to No.8 Australian General Hospital in South Terrace Fremantle for a medical checkup and was then discharged from the AIF on the 20th June 1919.
During the war his Mother had moved to 40 Malcolm Street Fremantle in 1917 and then 48 Hubble Street (later renumbered to 26 Hubble St) in 1919. This was where Charlie returned to after his discharge from the Army.
Charlie and his mother only remained in Fremantle through to 1920 and then moved to Victoria, where they spent a few years before heading to NSW.
In 1931 Charlie was living at 9 McKenzie St Sydney and was working as a merchant.
By 1939 Charlie was living at 15 Creek Street Forrest Lodge NSW and was an employee of the New South Wales Water Board.
Charlie would see World War 2 Service in NSW and had the service number N68677. Charlie would enlist on the 12th October 1939 and would serve with the 11th Garrison Battalion until 1944 when he was discharged from the Australian Army.
After being discharged Charlie was living at 17 Garden Avenue Glebe NSW
What happened to Charlie post World War Two is unknown.