Charles Russell WOOLLEY
Year of Birth: 1889
Place of Birth: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Date of Enlistment: 14 May 1915
Date and Place of Embarkation: 28 July 1915 Sydney, New South Wales. Australia
Ship: HMAT Suffolk A23
Rank: Private
Unit(s): 17th Battalion
Regimental Number: 1788
Died: 4 April 1917
Charles Russell Woolley was the eldest of six sons born to Basil G.B. Woolley and his wife Frances. Three sons died in infancy. Charles’ brother Duncan enlisted about the same time as Charles and was killed in action at Bullecourt, France, leaving a wife of only 3 years. She later married a fellow soldier who had been with Duncan when he was killed.
Only one of the six sons survived to live a long life, John Leslie Woolley (1898 – 1982).
Charles attended Sydney Grammar School and worked for Colonial Sugar Refinery Co in both Goondi, Innisfail and Hambledon Mill near Cairns as a Cane Inspector.
He enlisted at Liverpool, Sydney on 14 May 1915. He was 25 years 8 months old, 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 166 pounds. He had a fair complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair. His religion was Church of England and named his father Basil Woolley as his next of kin.
He embarked from Sydney on the HMAT Suffolk on 28 July 1915 arriving in Alexandria, Egypt on 11 September 1915. He served in Gallipoli from 17 September returning to Alexandria on 17 March 1916 then sailing to Marseilles, Frances to join the British Expeditionary Force.
He had been promoted from Private to Corporal on 12 February 1916, then to Lance Sergeant then Sergeant on 10 August 1916. He joined the Cadet Training Battalion in Belgium on 13 September 1916 then on 3 January 1917 qualified for commission as a 2nd Lieutenant with the AIF in England.
He arrived in Staples, France on 15 January 1917 and joined 55 Battalion 10 days later. On 1 February he was posted to Lewis Gun school.
On the morning of 2 April 1917 2nd Lt Woolley was shot in the head by a sniper during an attack at Doignies near Bapaume. He was transferred to 3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station where he died 2 days later. Although he had been wounded in his arm, he carried on until fatally shot.
He was buried at Pozieres British Cemetery, Somme, France.
His death was reported in the Sydney Mail newspaper of 9 May 1917.
Numerous accounts of his wounding were provided by witnesses and conveyed to family in both England and Australia.
Online Resources
NAA: B2455 (WOOLLEY C R) National Archives of Australia
National Library of Australia: Trove Digitised Newspapers
Queensland Registrar of Births Deaths & Marriages
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