Charles John BRUCE
Year of Birth: 1896
Place of Birth: Longreach, Queensland, Australia
Date of Enlistment: 10 June 1916
Date and Place of Embarkation: 21 October 1916, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Ship: HMAT Boonah A36
Rank: Private
Unit(s): 26 Battalion
Regimental Number: 5783
Died: 20 September 1917
Charles John Bruce was born on 5 December 1896 in Longreach, Queensland, the first child of Henry Sidney Bruce and Annie Elizabeth Bruce (nee Pearson) who had married in 1895. They subsequently had a large family – Robert (b. 1899 lived a day), Edward (b. 1900), Vincent (b. 1901), Sidney (b. 1903), Robert (b. 1907) Emma (b. & d. 1908), Annie (b. 1910), Aileen (b. 1911) and Grace (b. 1912). A son, Wallace, died in 1906 but no record of his birth has been found.
The father of this large family worked as a carrier or stockman for many years in various places such as Newellton (Silver Valley), Chillagoe and Georgetown.
When Charles enlisted in the AIF on 30 June 1916, he was a woodcutter and named his father of Koorboora as his next of kin. Charles was 19 years 6 months of age, 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 140 pounds. He had a dark complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair. His religion was Church of England.
He embarked with the 26th Battalion on the HMAT Boonah on 21 October 1916 arriving at Plymouth, England on 10 January 1917.
While with the 7th Training Battalion he was admitted sick to Parkhouse Hospital, Rollestone where he remained for several months. He left from Southampton for France on 4 June 1917 and was taken on strength with the 26th Battalion on 3 July 1917.
He was killed in action on 20 September 1917 and is remembered at Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, West Vlaanderen, Belgium.
Online Resources
NAA: B2455 (BRUCE C J) National Archives of Australia
National Library of Australia: Trove Digitised Newspapers
Queensland Registrar of Births Deaths & Marriages
If you have a photograph or further information about this soldier you would like to share and add to his biography, please contact the Society at projects@cdfhs.org or leave a comment below. Thank you!