Volunteers of Essendon and Flemington, 1914-1918
Pte Charly Bale, pictured in 1914.
Photo courtesy of Gary Nichols.
Bale C Pte 479 Charles 7 Inf Bn 24 Enameller Single C of E
Address: Essendon, Napier St, 25
Next of Kin: Bale, Samuel, 25 Napier St, Essendon
Enlisted: 17 Aug 1914
Embarked: A20 Hororata 19 Oct 1914
Prior Service: Monomeithshire Volunteers, 2 years.
Relatives on Active Service:
Bale-W-J-Pte-3348 cousin DOW
Bale J A T Driver 9366 cousin
Private Charles Bale, courtesy of Gary Nichols.
Charly's father, Samuel Bale, was the greenkeeper at Essendon Bowls Club.
Date of Death: 25/04/1915
CWGC: "Son of Samuel and Annie Bale, of Napier St., Essendon, Victoria, Australia. Native of Newport, Mon, Wales".
LONE PINE MEMORIAL
A last minute note to his family before going into action on 25 April 1915
"Dear M,F,S,B, [ meaning Mother, Father, Sisters, Brothers]
Going into action tomorrow. I shall be among the first fifty to land. This will probably prove to be one of hardest fights in history. We land under fire. Perhaps long before you get this you will have read all about the fight and the result. I wrote this last note so that you should see I was thinking of home at the last. Whatever happens you may be confident that I shall do my job properly. The boys are singing away, just as if nothing was about to happen. I'll go and join them. Hope you are all well and happy. Don't worry about me.
I'll be right. If anything does happen, don't let any mistaken sentiment stand in the way of your getting any thing which may be coming to me. Get it all. It will be useful. Enough of this, though. Don't forget to remember me in your prayers. Goodbye Mother, goodbye Father, Jim, Jack, Billy, Lick, Betty and dear little Anne. Fondest love to all of you, and to Aunt, Uncle, Hilda. Kind regards to the usual number. Your loving son and brother Charly (turn over)
A sailor is going to post this for me as soon as ever he can. April 24th 1915."
(Letter courtesy of Gary Nichols)
A copy of the Statutory Declaration made by Harold Prunty regarding the burial of
Charly Bale, and other members of the 7th Battalion who died at the landing.
Courtesy of Gary Nichols.
STATUTORY DECLARATION
I, Harold Charles Prunty, 74 Argyle Street, Moonee Ponds, Victoria (formerly No 424, Private, 7th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force) declare that on the morning of the 25th April 1915, I was with my unit landed at Gallipoli on the extreme left of the landing place. There were stone huts immediately opposite the landing place and about half an hour after we landed I saw the dead body of the late No 479, Private C Bale, 7th Battalion. Australian Imperial Force lying in front of the huts mentioned. There were also about 8 or 10 other bodies of members of the 7th Battalion in the same place. Sometime afterwards I heard that a New Zealand unit had buried all these men where I saw them lying.
Two of the bodies referred to were those of No 460, Private A G McPherson, and No 435, Private R F Stone, 7th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, who are reported as having been buried in the No 2 Outpost Cemetery, Anzac, Gallipoli, 1 [ & one eighth] miles North North East of Anzac Cove. I can only assume, therefore, that Private C Bale is buried in the same place. Another of the bodies was that of No 65 Sergeant W W J Head, 7th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force. I understand that no burial report has been received in his case.
I make this declaration at the request of the mother of the late Private Bale and ask that it may be considered as the reply to your letter to her dated 8th June 1921. And I make this solemn declaration by virtue of the Statutory Declarations Act 1911 conscientously believing the statements contained therein to be true in every particular.
Harold Prunty
Declared at Victoria Barracks, Melb, the 16th day of June 1921, before me Wm Mackintosh, Captain
Chief Clerk Base Records
Commissioner for Declarations.
Mentioned in these publications:
St Thomas' Parish Magazine April 1915 p2
INTERCESSIONS.
The prayers of parishioners are asked for
our soldiers, who have gone from this parish:
Chas. Bale .....
All-Australia Memorial: Australia's Fighting Families, p 57
"BALE, C. Pte "D" Coy, 7th Batt.; s. of Samuel and Annie Bale, Essendon; b. at Newport, Monmonthshire, Eng., Aug. 6, 1890; educ.
Newport, Eng., and Workingmen's Col., Melb.: gardener; enl. Essendon, Aug., 1914. War service: Egypt: Gallipoli. Pte. Bale was killed at the memorable Landing. He was a prominent member of Newport Rugby Team".
War Service Commemorated
Essendon Town Hall A-F
“Send off to the Essendon Boys”
Christ Church Roll of Honour
St Thomas' Anglican Church*
St Thomas' Memorial Hall
Anzac Honoured Dead 25/4/15
Essendon Gazette Roll of Honour killed
Patriotic Concert, Essendon Town Hall, 1914
All-Australia Memorial: Australia's Fighting Families, p 57
This memorial plaque was presented to Charly's family from King George V,
together with a commemorative scroll.gratitude for their son's sacrifice. It is thought that it
was Charly's father Samuel who mounted the plaque with a polished timber and plaster frame.
In Memoriam
In memory of fallen comrades, officers, non-com-
missioned offers, and privates of 7th Battalion,
1st AIF.
Men, all!
-(Inserted by Captain Shannon Grills.)
The Argus 25 Apr 1916
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2099261
No personal notices in The Argus 1916-1919
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