Charles Herbert Minter

1888 - 1917  (~ 29 years)

• Name	Charles Herbert Minter
  Birth	Jun 1888	Staple, Kent   [1]
  Christening	15 Jul 1888	Holy Trinity, Dover, Kent   [2]
  Gender	Male
  Reference Number	126
  _UID	34298F75210F48F8B802BE45B741EFC93E04
  Death	19 Jul 1917	France (killed in action)   [3]
  Notes	From the National Archives of Australia: MINTER Charles Herbert : Service Number - 144 : Place of Birth - Dover England : Place of Enlistment - Keswick SA : Next of Kin - (Sister) MINTER Constance Mary Louis [WW1]. From www.aif.adfa.edu.au: as a member of the Australian Imperial Force 1914 - 18, Charles served in the 32nd Battalion, A Company. His address is shown as 142 Snargate Street, Dover, Kent, England. www.awm.gov.au shows that Charles embarked on the HMAT Geelong at Adelaide on 18 November 1918. His age is shown as 27; labourer, single, of 142 Snargate Street, Dover, Kent, next of kin Miss Constance Mary Louisa Minter, sister, 142 Snargate Street, Dover, Kent. C of E. Joined the forces on 1 July 1915. Records relating to Charles's WW1 service can be found at the National Archives of Australia. Remembered on Panel 4 of the Dover War memorial (photo at http://homepage.ntlworld.com/gareth.moore7/panel4.html ) Also remembered in the Dover Grammar School for Boys Roll of Honour. The following is taken from http://www.kentfallen.com/PDF%20reports/DOVER%20GRAMMAR.pdf: MINTER, CHARLES HERBERT. Private, 144. 32nd Battalion, Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Died 19 July 1916. Aged 28. Born in England (possibly Dover, Kent). Son of Charles Daniel and Charlotte Emma Minter of "Manner," Sutton Street, Colac, Victoria, Australia. Buried Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix, Pas de Calais, France. Grave Ref: I. K. 57. Also commemorated on Dover, Kent, civic war memorial.. Prior to enlisting in the army Charles was employed as a Labourer, he enlisted on 1 July 1915, at which time he gave his address as that of his sister Constance Mary Louisa Minter of 142, Snargate Street, Dover, Kent. Charles was posted to "A" Company, 32nd Battalion, Australian Infantry, Australian Imperial Force in which he sailed from Adelaide, South Australia on 18 November 1915 onboard the 7,851 ton H.M.A.T.Geelong (A2), which was on loan from the P&O Steam Navigation Co, London. Unlike the majority of Australian troopships that were returned to their former owners following the Great War, the ship which had taken Charles back to Europe was lost on 1 January1916 after she had collided with the S.S. Bonvilston in the Mediterranean and sank. The action fought where Charles died was just north of the German held village of Fromelles on the Aubers Ridge to the south of Armentieres, Nord, France, it was executed partly as a diversion to the larger battle taking place 50 miles or so to the south on the Somme, and at the same time taking a German held salient. It was and indeed still is significant as being the first occasion on which the First Australian Imperial Force(A.I.F.) saw action on the Western Front, regrettably it ended by being a decisive victory for the German army, during which thousands of Australian and British soldiers were killed, taken prisoner and/or wounded, without the Alliesgaining any ground. The casualty returns for Charles battalion for the two day 'Battle of Fromelles' on 19 and 20 July 1916 show 17 officers and 701 men either killed, wounded or missing in action. One of the officers of Charles battalion who was amongst the wounded was Captain Blair Wark who later (at Ypres) won the Distinguished Service Order for repelling three enemy counter attacks, in October 1918 the then Major Blair Wark was awarded the Victoria Cross.
  Person ID	I126	Ash, Kent
  Last Modified	4 Jan 2016

  
  

  Father	Charles Daniel Minter,   b. 9 May 1854, Worth, Kent d. 4 Sep 1942, District Hospital, Colac, Polwarth, Victoria, Australia (Age 88 years)
  Mother	Charlotte Emma FLINT,   b. Abt 1859, Dover, Kent d. Mar 1897, Eastry RD (Age ~ 38 years)
  Marriage	13 Sep 1883	St Mary's, Dover, Kent   [1]
  	Married by banns. Charles a bachelor market-gardener aged 29; Charlotte a spinster aged 25 of Strond Street, Dover the daughter of Thomas Flint a baker.
  Family ID	F51	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - Jun 1888 - Staple, Kent  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S3] BMD index. [S336] England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, ancestry.com, July 2014 and later. [S65] Commonwealth War Graves Commission.