Harris, Charles Allan
Charles Allan Harris of 157 Cruikshank Street, Port Melbourne is listed among the Naval contribution to the Expeditionary Force that sailed for Rabaul in, what was then, German New Guinea, in September 1914.
1914 ‘GERMAN NEW GUINEA.’, The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957), 14 September, p. 7. , viewed 07 Dec 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10806307
1917 ‘ELECTRIC SPARKS’, Port Melbourne Standard (Vic. : 1914 – 1920), 14 April, p. 3. , viewed 04 Apr 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article88368045
1 Comments
Brian Membrey
There are variations in Charles Harris’ second given name – Allan, Allen and Alban (the AWM variant and correct given his father’s name) all noted. He enlisted (using “Allan”) as a 28-year-old engine driver in the A.I.F. on 17 July, 1915 and served as 2953, 7th Battalion (9 Reinforcements) until he was killed in action on 25 February, 1917 at Flers, France at 30 years of age.
He has no known grave, his sacrifice commemorated in the Villiers-Bretonneux Memorial in Picardie, France.
There was no residential address shown on his A.I.F. Attestation; his next of kin was given as a sister, Mrs S. A. Mitchell at 4 Derby Road, Sunshine, although his parents were still alive with his father returning the circular from Gladysdale via Yarra Junction.
It shows his late son’s place of birth as Great Brickilyn Street, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England, (parents Samuel Alban and Eliza HARRIS) and him educated at Camberwell and Mitcham State Schools after the family arrived with Charles then three years and five months.
His Attestation suggests he had served a total of five years with the Royal and the Royal Australian Navy before being discharged after the Naval Expeditionary Force returned from New Guinea. He appears to have been one of the Australian sailors sent to England to bring the new Australian cruiser HMAS Melbourne to Australia in 1913.
View image at https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1636795