It is a surreal experience to be in Belgium exactly 100 years to the day that my great grandfather, Elliot's great great grandfather stood here and fought for us in the infamous battle of Passchendaele.
So many men didn't make it through the horror. Charles was one of the 'lucky' ones if such a thing exists. Had he not gotten through this deadly battle, like so many of the men he led in his company didn't, our history, my history, simply wouldn't be.
The fields here in Flanders, Belgium, and more specifically for us between Ypres and Passchendaele hold a very heavy feeling. They are lost somewhere between sadness and absolute peace. The long open plains with distant objects which were once targets, markers or goals are painful to see. The blood that was shed between them is incomprehensible.
Yet the dozens of war cemeteries, graves of men known or not, green hills, fences erected and paddocks ploughed, when you stand in them in silence, there is as an overwhelming sense of calm.
For the thousands who died here and remain here, I am sure they would take every bit of warmth of the sun we felt, and appreciate every single second of the silence we did. Im sure it is something they had longed for, it is something they earned.
Charles, as officer in command of his company within the 36th Battalion, 3rd Division AIF, led his men toward Passchendaele bravely, marching kilometres through torrential rain and mud that was metres deep and like glue, in darkness and under fire in the lead up to the actual battle. The 36th Battalion lost over 100 men before they had even made it to their first meeting point. The guts and determination it takes to push through this, against all the odds, stay focussed on the task, and as Charles did in this instance, rally troops who had lost their own Lieutenants, then regroup and re-strategise is unbelievable.
When all seemed to be falling apart and men had given up and were trying to bury themselves in the mud just to escape the horror, Charles spotted a weak point in the German defences around Passchendaele village and his instincts, coupled with the courage of those desperately brave men behind him, told him to run toward it.
Together with 20 men, some his, some just following him, they ran and secured a trench within Passchendaele, a mighty feat for a such a strongly held German position. They held their ground for hours, which would have felt like days. They were later ordered to retreat and wait for more support, as they couldn't have possibly survived where they were for too much longer, there simply were not enough men nearby to support them. Far too many had fallen.
Charles was awarded the Military Cross for his actions, this moment, for bravery in battle.
He made it out of Belgium, out of France and back to Australia in 1920.
What a brave man to lead a charge like that, courageous and confident, defiant and determined.
What a sensible decision from the officer who ordered them back out of that trench later that day. Without that decision, who knows...
In a small pub in Passchendaele, 100 years on, we toast you Charles for your bravery, your legacy.
A part of our history that won't be forgotten.
Below are some pics from Menin Gate, Ypres (Ieper).
We were humbled to pay our respects here in this sacred monument dedicated to the to the thousands of soldiers with no known grave, their names inscribed on these walls. Every night (since 1928) at 8pm the Last Post is played, a very moving experience to be part of.
In 1936, the city of Ypres presented the Menin Gate Lions to the Australian War Memorial. It was a symbol of the close relationship between these two nations. At the start of the WWI these lions stood on plinths on either side of the road leading through the rampart walls. Thousands of Australian soldiers marched between them on their way to the Salient in 1917.
Since 1991, the restored lions have stood at the entrance of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. But this year, 100 years on, they have been returned to the Menin Gate on loan and in gratitude to the people of Belgium for remembering our heroes.
