GILES, Charles William

Charles William Giles was the son of William Henry Giles of Cassilis, near Omeo, Victoria and his wife, Elizabeth Jane, nee Fulton. He was aged thirty and three months when he enlisted and described his occupation as Engineer/ Driver (Engine Driver). Although he was passed as fit, he had lost both the big toe and the first joint of the second toe of his left foot in an accident, but stated that it gave him no problems in walking.  He seems to have married just before he left for the war. While his enlistment papers declare his next of kin as his father, this is crossed out and replaced with Johanna  Bridget Giles of 61 Powlett St., East Melbourne.

Charles GIles signed up on 8 July, 1915, and was placed as a Sapper (Engineer) in the 5th Field Company Engineers. The Field Engineers were central to constructing lines of defence, including temporary bridges, tunnels and trenches, observation posts, roads and tracks, railways and communication lines. After training, Charles Giles embarked on HMAT Arcadia to Alexandria, and then on to Marseilles, where he disembarked on 24 November, 1916 to join his company, where he was taken on strength as a driver. They were by now experiencing the bitter winter of 1916-17 in the trenches of the Somme, in fairly primitive and stressful conditions. On 10 February, 1917, Charles Giles came down with influenza. He rejoined his unit on 17 February, but then came down with Scabies on 21 February, rejoining his unit again on on 10 March. On 5 July, he was again in hospital with scabies, rejoining on 17 July. 

They were now operating in the Ypres salient and on 30 September, Charles William Giles was wounded. His actions following his wounding won him the Military Medal for bravery in the field during the Battle of Ypres. The citation read:

Driver Giles was sent out on the night of 30th September, 1917, as one of the drivers of a six horse team carrying R.E. Stores and while on the home route in the vicinity of Birr Cross Roads (near Ypres) the team was caught in an enemy barrage. one shell killed three horses and seriously wounded two drivers. Driver Giles, although wounded in three places, succeeded in extricating the team, bringing aid to the wounded drivers, and then alone brought the waggon (sic)  home, with two mules, one of which was wounded. he also tied on a third mule (wounded) behind the waggon. It was not until after he had arrived at the Company horse lines and secured his horses that he was attended to. He has since been evacuated.

He did not rejoin his unit until 20 November, 1917, but the authorities un London must have decided that he had done his bit on the Western Front. He was returned to London and on 14 January, 1918, was re-assigned as a driver attached to duty at AIF Headquarters in London, where he remained until the end of the war. He returned to Australia on board HT Nestor, leaving London on 1 November,1919, arriving in Melbourne on 15 December. From the war, he went straight back to Cassilis and on the Electoral Roll for 1919 is shown is described as an Engine Driver. By 1922, he was living with Johanna in Prahran, at 80 Earl Street, and working as a tram driver. In 1925, he is a tram employee and the couple was living at 75 Williams Rd., Prahran. In 1943, they are living in 11 Edsall St., Malvern. in 1943, they have moved to 54 McArthur St., Fawkner, and his job is electrician. Charles William Giles died in Fitzroy in 1946, aged 61.