ANZAC Search

Charles Francis Devine - Information

Charles was a son of Thomas and Catherine Ann Devine. His father worked as a grazier on their property on Appin Rd in Campbelltown. Charles was born in Campbelltown in 1890 and soon found work as a tiler. When he was 24, he enlisted in the AIF at Warwick Farm on the 4th of September 1915. While training, Charles became a Private with the 14th Reinforcements, 2nd Battalion. His unit then left for war service on the RMS Osterley, leaving Sydney on the 15th January 1916.

When he arrived on the Western Front, Charles was taken on strength to the 2nd Battalion on the 30th of July 1916. At the time, they were in the middle of operations at Pozières,, during the Somme Offensive. Leaving the Somme Sector, the Australians were moved north. On heading out, Charles was wounded in action on the 10th of September, hit in his right thigh. He was taken to hospital in Boulogne and then evacuated to England, admitted to the 3rd General Hospital in Wandsworth. By February 1917, Charles had returned to duty, serving with the 2nd Battalion. Charles and his mates chased the Germans as they withdrew to the Hindenburg Line, hitting them at Bullecourt. Later in the year, they wrestled with the Germans in the mud at Menin Road and Broodseinde, during the Third Battle of Ypres in Belgium. In January 1918, Charles was taken to hospital with a painful right knee. This was probably a result of his earlier leg wound. In March, Charles returned to duty helping to stop the German'€™s spring advance. In April, they launched an assault in Flanders. The 2nd Battalion met them at Hazebrouck. The Allies launched their own offensive in August, achieving victory in November. Charles left England for Australia on the 20th of April 1919 aboard the Boorah.