Johansen, Carl
4534 Private Carl Johansen aka Hans Peter Carl Oscar Joahnsen - 11th Battalion AIF
Hans Peter Carl Oscar Johansen was born in Denmark in 1872. He was educated in Denmark and had his early years there.
After leaving school Carl took up employment as a sailor and soon was travelling the world. In 1911 he arrived in Western Australia on the ship Arrino from Belgium and then went to work in the South West for a year before taking up residence in Bannister Fremantle. He was soon naturalised and took up residence at Essex Street Fremantle. Carl was working as a fisherman out of Fremantle Harbour.
On the 13th October 1915 Carl enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He had to supply his naturalisation papers but after showing these he was accepted for service in the Australian Imperial Force. The medical examiner recorded Carl's physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 7 & 1/4 inches tall;
Weight - 149lbs;
Chest Measurement - 36-38 inches;
Complexion - Ruddy;
Eyes - Blue;
Hair - Reddish;
Distinctive marks - Tattoos - snake from top of foot round calf, star above a scroll and heart on left calf; crossed hand over heart and condor over American flag on right arm, rose on left upper arm, British and Danish flags over KJ, flower below left forearm.
Upon his successful enlistment, Carl was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.33 Training Depot. He spent two months here being taken through the basics of infantry work but on the 16th December 1915 he was transferred to the 14th Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion AIF. He trained with this group in France for the next two months.
On the 14th February 1916 Carl and his group entrained for Fremantle Harbour where thy boarded the transport ship HMAT Miltiades. The ship then set sail for Egypt, arriving there on the 10th March 1916. As the 11th Battalion was already at full capacity, Carl was retained in the 1st Division reinforcement camp. He departed for France on the 29th March 1916 and arrived at France on the 4th April 1916, disembarking at Marseilles.
The 1st Division reinforcements were then entrained north for Etaples where they joined the 1st Australian Division Base Depot camp. Carl spent around seven weeks in camp at Etaples and then joined the 11th Battalion on the 17th May 1916.
The 11th battalion were then situated at Armentieres holding the front line near Bois Grenier and Estaires.
In July and August 1916, the 11th Battalion fought at Pozieres and Mouquet Farm on the Somme battlefield, with Carl coming through these battles unscathed. After a short sojourn in Belgium, the 11th Battalion were back on the Somme in November 1916, and they would spend the freezing 1916/17 French winter in this sector.
On the 9th November 1916 Carl was reported to be wounded in action and was sent to No.10 General Hospital at Rouen. He was found to have a septic hand and was also suffering from rheumatism.
On the 27th November Carl joined the 1st Australian Division Base Depot and had a few more stints in hospital and was then returned to England in February 1917. He was hospitalised and his medical fitness was assessed, and he was found to be no longer fit for service on the Western Front. He was returned to No.2 Command Depot Camp at Weymouth where he would now wait to be assigned a berth on a troopship home.
On the 4th May 1917 Carl boarded the HMAT Miltiades and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle on the 24th June 1917. He was then discharged from the AIF on the 21st September 1917.
Carl returned to live in Fremantle, taking up residence at 96 South Street (later renumbered to 52 South St) and resumed his fishing employment.
He was living at 19 Ellen Street Fremantle when he died on the 18th October 1942 aged 70. He was buried in Fremantle Cemetery plot Lutheran MON L 0033.