About Charles Chandler

Charles was born in Beckenham, Kent, England  around 1890, to Arthur & Louisa Chandler. He was the middle child of the family, with one older sister and a younger sister. Charles’ father was a draper and wholesale merchantman, and Charles also trained in drapery. Charles was also trained in the military, and served in the 9th Bounty of London Territorials and the Royal Wiltshire  Yeomanry. In the 1911 census Charles was boarding in Swindon, Wiltshire and working as a draper, but in 1912 he travelled to Australia.

Broome Connection

Charles appears in Broome’s records in 1915, when he was listed as a pearling clerk in the Wise Directory.

War Service

Charles enlisted for the AIF in November 1914 at Blackboy Hill Camp and was assigned to the 11th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcement. The 11th Battalion was one of the first to be raised in Western Australia. The unit embarked at Fremantle HMAT Itonus in record time a month later, bound for Egypt and Gallipoli. The 11th Battalion was part of the 3rd Division, that was the covering force for the ANZAC landing on 25th April 1915, and was the first ashore at 4.30am and was heavily involved in defending the front line of the ANZAC beachhead. Charles died during an attempt to capture a Turkish trench immediately in front of Tasmanian Post.

Enlistment Details

Newspaper Articles

Other Online Resources

View Charles Chander at the National Archives of Australia
View Charles Chandler at the Australian War Memorial